Controversial far-right Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn (North Carolina) was cited on Tuesday for bringing a loaded gun to an international airport, local media reported.
Cawthorn, 26, was stopped at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when TSA agents found a gun in his bag, which violated a city ordinance, and notified local police, The Charlotte Observer reported.
WSOC-TV reported that it was a 9 mm handgun.
Cawthorn was cited for violating a Charlotte city ordinance for possessing a deadly weapon on city property but he was released after it was confiscated by police – something they said was normal.
It is standard procedure for the CMPD Airport Division to cite in lieu of arrest for the misdemeanor charge of Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on City Property unless there are other associated felony charges or extenuating circumstances. (4/5)
— CMPD News (@CMPD) April 26, 2022
"It is standard procedure for the CMPD Airport Division to cite in lieu of arrest for the misdemeanor charge of Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on City Property unless there are other associated felony charges of extenuating circumstances," the police noted on Twitter.
Cawthorn, the youngest person to ever be elected to Congress, is a controversial figure for his outspoken far-right views and staunch advocacy for the promotion of what he describes as traditional Christian values.
However, he has also been riddled with scandals in the past, such as posing for pictures while vacationing at Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s retreat in Germany, talking about converting Jews to Christianity and calling Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a thug.
Recently, Cawthorn also sparked controversy by claiming senior GOP lawmakers invited him to orgies.
This isn't the first time Cawthorn was cited for possessing a gun at an airport.
Back in February 2021, TSA found a 9 mm handgun in the congressman's carry-on at Asheville Regional Airport, though he did not face any charges then either, WSOC-TV reported.