Rep. Madison Cawthorn Cited for Illegal Gun Possession at N.C. Airport, Police Say

Zuma/SplashNews.com Rep. Madison Cawthorn

Rep. Madison Cawthorn has been cited for illegal gun possession after a loaded firearm was found in his bag at a North Carolina airport, according to authorities.

Cawthorn, 26, was traveling through the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in his home state of North Carolina on Tuesday when the loaded gun was discovered inside his luggage at a security screening checkpoint at the facility, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted.

A Staccato C2 9 mm handgun, ammunition and a magazine were found within Cawthorn's belongings at a security checkpoint before 9 a.m., according to a police report.

Cawthorn, who confirmed the firearm was his, was cited for Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on City Property, the CMPD said. The Republican congressman was released upon receiving his citation.

A rep for Cawthorn did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The gun was confiscated as part of "normal procedure," the department said.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Rep. Madison Cawthorn

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The CMPD said "it is standard procedure" to cite individuals that violate the city ordinance "in lieu of arrest" should no other associated felony charges "or extenuating circumstances" exist.

An aviation security expert told WSOC-TV that an individual is unlikely to be arrested unless they are acting suspiciously or caught lying to authorities.

Violators of the law can be fined over $13,000 for a repeat offense, according to the TSA.

Several signs are posted throughout the airport stating "no dangerous weapons allowed," according to the police report.

This is the second time Cawthorn has been stopped at an airport over a gun in over a year. In Feb. 2021, officials at the Asheville Regional Airport located an unloaded gun and a loaded magazine inside the North Carolina politician's carry-on bag, per The Asheville Citizen-Times.

Photo Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images Madison Cawthorn

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Cawthorn was not charged with the crime and later said he had the gun with him "by mistake," the Citizen-Times reported.

A TSA spokesperson confirmed that Cawthorn was fined as a result of the 2021 incident, according to The New York Times.

Cawthorn has found himself in the spotlight since becoming the youngest representative in Congress in November 2020, but especially in recent months. He has been criticized for a laundry list of items, from calling Ukraine president Volodomir Zelenskyy a "thug" to accusing Republican congressmen of participating in drug-fueled orgries earlier this month.