A loaded gun was found in North Carolina U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s carry-on bag at an airport security checkpoint Tuesday for the second time in two years, officials said.
When Cawthorn came through checkpoint D at Charlotte Douglas International Airport with the gun, a 9 mm Staccato C2, around 9 a.m., Transportation Security Administration officers notified Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers on standby in the area, TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston said.
Responding officers identified the 26-year-old Republican as the owner of the bag where the gun was found, police said in a statement. Cawthorn acknowledged that the gun was his and cooperated with officers, authorities said. He was issued a citation for possession of a dangerous weapon on city property, a misdemeanor. Cawthorn was released but police held on to the firearm, as is routine.
The infraction is punishable by civil penalties, including a fine of up to $13,900 depending on certain factors, such as whether a firearm is loaded and multiple offenses, Langston said. In this case the firearm was loaded.
Langston said this was the second time in recent history that a gun was found in Cawthorn’s carry-on bag. He said the same thing happened at an Asheville Regional Airport checkpoint in February 2021.
TSA officers have intercepted more than 1,800 firearms at checkpoints so far this year, Langston said.
A spokesperson for Cawthorn’s office and his campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
After winning a GOP congressional primary runoff in 2020 over then-President Donald Trump’s pick, Cawthorn won the general election at age 25 and has became one of Trump’s strongest supporters. Trump recently featured Cawthorn as a rally speaker and endorsed him for reelection.
Fellow Republicans in North Carolina have spoken out against his reelection, however, including U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who has endorsed a state legislator for the seat. Cawthorn has drawn criticism for recent incendiary comments, including one in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug.”
The airport checkpoint incidents haven’t been Cawthorn’s only brushes with law enforcement. Last month, for the third time in five months, he was cited by state troopers for a traffic violation, including driving with a revoked license. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 6.
(AP)
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7 Responses
What was the dope thinking?
He relates to many ordinary citizens. We need someone like that in NY.
What a wonderful example for our children as a public servant. An accused sexual abuser, drives and speeds with suspended license, not to mention an insurrectionist.
This dude is nuts
Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, go to jail.
Handi man
He needs to fire whoever packs his bags for him. It’s an easy mistake to make once, but having been caught once the person should have been extra careful that it didn’t happen again. Really the only way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to have separate bags for flying, that are never used for any other purpose, and never put a gun or ammunition in them.