CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday to bringing a loaded gun through security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Cawthorn was cited for having a loaded gun in his bag while going through security in April 2022. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to a class three misdemeanor for possession of a dangerous weapon on city property. He was ordered to pay a $250 fine.
Cawthorn, who lost his bid for reelection in last year's primary elections, immediately reacted to the incident on social media, encouraging his followers to take the extra "30 to 60 seconds" to make sure they don't have any weapons in their bags.
"I made a mistake yesterday," Cawthorn posted on Instagram. "No excuse for it, just a flat out mistake."
It wasn't the first time Cawthorn attempted to bring a weapon through TSA. He was stopped by officials at Asheville Regional Airport in February 2021 when a gun was found in his bag.
TSA intercepted a record number of guns at airports last year. The agency saw a 10% jump from 2021 and a large majority of those weapons were loaded, officials said.
The agency increased the maximum fine for trying to bring a gun to nearly $15,000 in an effort to crack down on the number of weapons at airports.
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