Could 6 (UPI) — Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn has pleaded responsible to bringing a loaded gun by safety at Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport in North Carolina, his legal professional says.
Cawthorn, a right-wing Republican, made the responsible plea to a third-degree misdemeanor cost of possession of a harmful weapon on metropolis property Friday in Mecklenburg. N.C., County District Court docket, legal professional Missy Owen mentioned.
“Mr. Cawthorn accepted duty for this error,” she mentioned in an announcement issued to CNN. “Legislation enforcement famous his cooperative angle at each step. He selected to resolve this case in a way that will guarantee his uninterrupted proper to own a firearm. He stays staunchly dedicated to accountable gun possession.”
Because of this, Cawthorn must pay a $250 superb. He doesn’t have to surrender his gun.
The weapon was situated inside his bag by Transportation Safety Administration officers at a safety checkpoint on April 26, 2022.
The TSA’s Southeast division shared a photo of the weapon and recognized it as a Staccato 9mm handgun.
Police mentioned they issued Cawthorn a quotation for possession of a harmful weapon on metropolis property. Cawthorn admitted the weapon was his, “was cooperative with CMPD officers” and was launched after his weapon was confiscated.
“It’s normal process for the CMPD Airport Division to quote in lieu of arrest for the misdemeanor cost of possession of a harmful weapon on metropolis property until there are different related felony prices or extenuating circumstances,” the division mentioned.
The same occasion occurred in 2021 when Cawthorn was stopped at Asheville Regional Airport.
The firebrand lawmaker misplaced his seat final Could throughout the Republican major.