Local prosecutors have dropped weapons charges against Rep. Victoria Spaatz (R-Ind.) for bringing a firearm into Dulles International Airport over the summer, court records show.
Spartz was scheduled to appear in court Friday on the misdemeanor charges, but his case record was updated to include a “no contest” entry, legal term for “not wishing to prosecute.”
The deputy completed gun safety training after the incident, his office said in a statement.
“Although Virginia law provides for automatic charges regardless of the circumstances, due to innocent negligence, prosecutors dropped the charges after the congressman completed a gun safety course,” the statement said.
The Loudoun County District Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it found an unloaded .380-caliber firearm in Spaatz's carry-on luggage during security screening at Dulles Airport in the Virginia suburbs of Washington on June 28.
At the time, Spaatz's office acknowledged the incident, describing it as an accident and noting that she had traveled to Europe for a scheduled meeting after receiving the subpoena.
She was charged with possessing a weapon inside an airport terminal, a first-degree misdemeanor in Virginia that can be punished by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Spaatz, who was first elected in 2020, represents Indiana's 5th Congressional District.
The TSA found 3,269 firearms in the first six months of this year, roughly the same number as the same period last year, despite an increase in total passenger numbers. Agency Data.
