Lawmaker Arrested After Loaded 9mm Found In Bag By TSA Agent
DENVER (CBS4) - State lawmaker Lori Saine was arrested at Denver International Airport for "knowingly" bringing a loaded 9mm gun to the TSA screening checkpoint.
Saine, 43, a Republican who represents District 63 in the Dacono and Firestone area, was stopped at the North Screening checkpoint Tuesday.
The loaded Kahr Arms 9mm semi-auto handgun, with four rounds in the magazine, was observed on the X-ray screening machine inside a bag belonging to Saine. There was not a round in the chamber.
According to police documents, Saine "knowingly brought the handgun into the North Screening Check point."
She was arrested on investigation of introduction of a firearm in a public transportation facility. The charge of carrying a weapon in a transportation facility is a class 6 felony.
Last year, 98 firearms were seized at DIA checkpoints, that's the fifth highest of all airports in the country. TSA told CBS4 that most are not turned over to police and result in civil charges. The average fine is $3,900 and can increase to $13,000.
Saine appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon.
Saine sponsored a bill in the 2017 legislative session to repeal prohibitions on ammunition magazines. That bill died in committee.
Saine serves on three committees, the Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee, and the Legislative Audit Committee.