Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson was arrested at Hong Kong airport on Friday after traveling to Asia with a firearm in his carry-on luggage. File Photo by Miguel Candela/EPA-EFE
Oct. 24 (UPI) — A Republican state Senator from Washington was arrested and charged in Hong Kong last week after a firearm was discovered in his carry-on luggage, his office said Monday.
Jeff Wilson of Longview, Wash., was arrested Friday night at Hong Kong airport and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, his office said in a statement.
Wilson was released Sunday after posting bail. He is to be in court for a hearing Monday.
“It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,” he said.
According to his office, Wilson was on a five-week personal vacation to Southeast Asia with his wife, and realized his weapon was in his bag mid-flight between San Francisco and the former British colony.
“He reached into his briefcase for a piece of gum, and felt his unloaded revolver inside,” his office explained. “When the plane landed, he immediately went to customs officials and called their attention to the issue.”
While the weapon is not registered in Hong Kong, it is registered in Washington, his office said, adding that baggage screeners at the airport in Portland, Ore., failed to discover it as he passed through security.
State Senate minority leader John Braun said in a statement that the Republican Party was learning about this development along with the public and the press.
“As I understand it, this was an honest mistake. I do not have any additional information to share at this point, but we are watching the situation closely. That said, I hope that this can be resolved in a timely manner,” Braun said.
The Transportation Security Administration said in April that it had confiscated more than 1,500 guns at U.S. airport security checkpoints during the first quarter of the year, which is an average of nearly 17 weapons intercepted a day.
The figure is a 10.3% increase of the same period last time, it said.
The TSA said one can travel with a firearm, but it must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container as checked baggage. Each weapon must also be declared to the airline.