Rep. Victoria Spartz charged with weapons violation

Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican in Indiana, has been charged with bringing a handgun in her luggage to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Spartz's office tried to get out in front of the story, putting out an announcement that the congresswoman "accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase with no magazine or bullets, which she did not realize was in the pocket of her suitcase, while going through security at Dulles airport."

The spokesperson said that Spartz "was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight" so she could "attend a meeting for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly."

It is a misdemeanor to "possess or transport" guns in airport terminals in Virginia.

Airline passengers are allowed to travel with guns, but certain requirements have to be met:

According to TSA, "the weapons need to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline and placed in the passengers' checked baggage."

It doesn't appear as though the politician was following any of these requirements.

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