Representative Madison Cawthorn (R., N.C.) was stopped by police on Tuesday after trying to bring a loaded handgun on board a flight.
The incident occurred this morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte. Cawthorn was stopped at a checkpoint by Transportation Security Administration agents, who discovered the weapon. Per reporting from CNN, the weapon was a Staccato C2 9-mm handgun. Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) were called to the scene.
A statement released by the CMPD said that Cawthorn was issued citation for “Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on City Property,” which is a Class 1 criminal misdemeanor charge. Per the CMPD, it is “standard procedure…to cite in lieu of arrest,” and Cawthorn was issued a citation.
According to Randall & Stump, a local criminal defense law firm, a conviction may bring up to “120 days in jail, fines, and a permanent criminal record.” These are separate from federal penalties levied by the TSA, which may be up to $13,090 per violation. It is unclear whether Cawthorn has faced any of these penalties.
TheCMPD statement also read that Cawthorn was “cooperative with CMPD officers” and acknowledged the firearm was his. Cawthorn’s office declined to comment on the matter when reached by National Review.
The incident follows another case in February 2021, when Cawthorn was stopped at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina for possession of a firearm and loaded magazine in his carry-on bag. Cawthorn was not charged for the offense and claimed the gun had been brought “by mistake.” In a separate matter, Cawthorn is scheduled to appear in court in May on a misdemeanor charge of driving with a revoked license.
Cawthorn, a first-term member of Congress, has elicited much controversy over his tenure. Cawthorn faced bipartisan criticism for calling Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug” in February, during the onset of Russia’s invasion of the country.
He was also widely criticized for claiming that he had been invited to “orgies” in Washington, D.C. and that he had witnessed cocaine use by his Congressional colleagues.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) said that he had “lost his trust” in Cawthorn after the orgies and cocaine comments. Meanwhile, Senator Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) has endorsed Cawthorn’s primary opponent, State Senator Chuck Edwards, in an election scheduled to be held on May 17.