WASHINGTON — Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., was cited Tuesday for having a loaded 9 mm handgun at a safety checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport in North Carolina, the second time he has been stopped with a firearm at an airport since he took workplace final 12 months.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Division mentioned the incident occurred simply earlier than 9 a.m., when it was notified that Transportation Safety Administration brokers had discovered a firearm, ammunition and {a magazine} in Cawthorn’s belongings at a safety checkpoint, in response to a police report.
Cawthorn was issued a quotation in lieu of an arrest on a cost of possession of a harmful weapon on metropolis property, a misdemeanor. The airport, which is owned and operated by the town of Charlotte, has a number of postings stating “no harmful weapons allowed,” police mentioned of their report. They added in a assertion that Cawthorn was cooperative and instructed officers that the gun belonged to him.
A TSA spokesperson mentioned the penalty for violating guidelines about firearms is as much as $13,900. It wasn’t instantly clear whether or not the company will pursue a advantageous in opposition to Cawthorn. The spokesperson mentioned that whereas it would not talk about the main points of every case, “in virtually each incident we challenge one,” with a assessment and a possible penalty doubtless within the coming weeks.
Authorities final 12 months stopped Cawthorn from carrying a loaded 9 mm handgun onto a flight out of Asheville, North Carolina. The TSA says civil penalties are sometimes larger for “repeat violations.”
After Cawthorn was launched Tuesday, officers took possession of the firearm, a normal process, police mentioned.
A quotation as a substitute of arrest can be regular process, the police division mentioned, “until there are different related felony expenses or extenuating circumstances.”
NBC Information has reached out to Cawthorn’s workplace for remark.
The misdemeanor cost is Cawthorn’s second up to now two months. In March, he was charged with driving with a revoked license and faces two pending citations for rushing. He has a Could 6 court docket date for the license cost, a misdemeanor.
Cawthorn, 26, makes use of a wheelchair as a result of he was severely injured in a 2014 automobile accident whereas he was using as a passenger within the automobile of a buddy who fell asleep on the wheel, in response to his 2019 federal court docket submitting in opposition to the auto insurance coverage firm.
He lately triggered an uproar when he claimed on a podcast that his congressional colleagues had been utilizing medication and alluring him to intercourse events. On the podcast, Cawthorn mentioned “the sexual perversion that goes on in Washington” and mentioned a few of his older colleagues had invited him to a “sexual get-together.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on Tuesday questioned Cawthorn’s maturity after his current run-ins with the legislation.
“Rushing tickets have occurred, and driving with no license has occurred,” Tillis mentioned when he was requested about Cawthorn’s encounters with legislation enforcement. “These items simply communicate to judgment. Judgment or maturity.”
Final month, Tillis endorsed Cawthorn’s main challenger, state Sen. Chuck Edwards.
“We’ve acquired to have anyone who’s demonstrating judgment and temperament and a willingness to work collectively for the betterment of North Carolinians,” Tillis mentioned Tuesday, including that proper now Cawthorn is “not at that desk.”