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I imagine the reason he was flying out of Louisville is that it's both cheaper and a direct flight. Whereas flying out of Evansville to DC involves a turboprop 'commuter plane' flight to Memphis and a wait or a Canadair 'Regional Jet' flight to Detroit and a wait.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana was briefly detained Tuesday when airport security workers found a handgun in his briefcase as he was going through a checkpoint on a trip back to Washington
The five-term Republican congressman was preparing to board a US Airways flight at Louisville International Airport when the gun was found, said his press secretary Michael Jahr.
"Apparently the congressman had left a handgun in his briefcase and forgot it was in there and took it to the security checkpoint, where it was detected and they detained him briefly to make sure he had no ill intent as they should do," Jahr said.
Jahr said Hostettler is an avid sportsman and has a permit for the weapon, but he was not sure what type of handgun the congressman had and whether it was loaded.
Hostettler has represented his district in southwestern Indiana since 1995 and is seeking re-election this year to a sixth term.
It's carelessness on his part, and absent any malicious intent, he'll wind up being charged with a misdemeanor and probably pay a fine.
More on the story from our local paper:
He won't face any Kentucky state charges because Kentucky and Indiana both recognize each other's handgun permits.An Indiana congressman will face a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed deadly weapon after being detained Tuesday morning by security screeners at the Louisville (Ky.) International Airport.
Rep. John Hostettler, an 8th District Republican, will appear at the U.S. District Court at the Jefferson County Hall of Justice on May 4 on the charges and could face a maximum year in jail and up to a $500 fine. He had not retained a lawyer as of Tuesday night and said he was not sure how he would plead.
Hostettler was returning to Washington via a US Airways flight after a two-week congressional recess when security screeners spotted a loaded handgun in his satchel at an airport security checkpoint. Hostettler was stopped and questioned first by screeners, then by local police, then by the FBI. Hostettler said he put the handgun in his satchel two weeks earlier. He said he uses it for personal protection as he travels the district. When he returned home, he set the satchel aside for the rest of the recess. He said he regrets not double-checking the bag before he brought it with him, calling it a "stupid mistake."
He said he has carried a handgun for personal protection when he travels far from home in the 8th Congressional District almost the entire time he has served in Congress. But he said he doesn't necessarily carry the gun just because he is a member of Congress.
"In my opinion, you can't be too careful," he said. "... I prefer not to be a victim of a violent crime." Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the federal Transportation Security Administration, said screeners detained a passenger at 10:45 a.m. as he tried to pass through the security checkpoint at the airport. Transportation Security Administration screeners detected a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in a carry-on bag.
Davis said she was barred from naming the detained passenger, citing privacy reasons.
Hostettler was detained for more than an hour before being released, and said he does not believe he got special treatment because he is a member of Congress. Authorities discovered he was a member of Congress when they asked for identification. He was not permitted to open the satchel that carried the gun and his driver's license, he said, so he had to show them his congressional voting card. "The argument could be made that they could've overlooked the whole thing when they found out I was a congressman," he said. "That didn't happen and shouldn't have happened and these law enforcement people did the right thing."
Authorities kept the handgun, a Glock model 19. The gun, which does not have a lock but which had an engaged safety, had 14 rounds in the magazine but none in the chamber.
Hostettler has a "conceal and carry" license from the state of Indiana, and estimates he owns more than a dozen guns, including rifles, shotguns and handguns. Kentucky recognizes Indiana gun licenses, and vice versa. Hostettler, now serving his fifth congressional term, has been an outspoken supporter of gun rights, and was a leading supporter of legislation that would allow airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit.
He is a member of the National Rifle Association and has denounced gun-control initiatives of the Clinton administration. Hostettler said the FBI and U.S. attorney's office are contemplating "what action needs to be taken." He said he is not sure how he will plead in the case because the statue says handguns are prohibited within a restricted area, and Hostettler never actually brought the gun to the restricted area. "The system worked," he said.
Hostettler praised authorities for their politeness and professionalism.
"They had their job to do," he said. "And they did it very well."
