Recording reveals Cawthorn's gun gaffe
Jeffrey Delannoy photo
Congressman Madison Cawthorn attempted to bring a firearm though airport security this past February, but the freshman Western North Carolina rep insists it was a simple mistake.
“Five months ago, while boarding a flight, Rep. Cawthorn erroneously stowed a firearm in his carry-on (that often doubles as a range bag) instead of his checked bag,” Cawthorn spokesman Micah Bock told The Smoky Mountain News. “The firearm was secured, and unchambered. Rep. Cawthorn endeavors to always follow TSA guidelines, and quickly rectified this situation before boarding his flight.”
The incident was brought to light in a recording of radio traffic between law enforcement officers at Asheville Regional Airport that was obtained through a public records request by a super PAC dedicated to Cawthorn’s ouster.
David Wheeler, president of American Muckrakers PAC, said he learned of the incident from an anonymous source. Details, including the recording and a heavily redacted police report dated Feb. 13, were published July 29 on the PAC’s website, www.FireMadison.com.
In the recording, one officer can be heard directing another to respond to a report of a firearm at the airport’s security checkpoint.
“Just to advise, it’s going to be an elected official, Madison Cawthorn’s firearm,” the officer said.
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“That doesn’t make a difference, you still gotta get the information,” another officer responded. “You got to have the proper channels to carry it through.”
Initially, officers offered to escort Cawthorn back to his vehicle to stow the firearm, but since he wouldn’t have been able to make it back to his departing flight in time, they opted to secure the Glock and its loaded magazine and allow Cawthorn to retrieve it upon his return. He did so on Feb. 22.
Per Transportation Security Administration policy, passengers may transport unloaded firearms only in checked baggage, and only if they’re secured in hard-sided containers and declared to the airline upon arrival.
Violations of the policy can result in fines totaling more than $13,000. It’s not clear if Cawthorn was fined, and it’s also not clear why he was allowed to retrieve his weapon, when TSA policy states that “Federal law and operational considerations restrict the return of prohibited items that are left at the security checkpoint.”
This is a developing story. Look for more in the next issue of The Smoky Mountain News, online and on newsstands on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
