Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn cited for bringing loaded gun to North Carolina airport

The Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes people found with guns at airports, said in a statement, “The District Attorney’s Office will assess this case as it does any other, factoring in the strength of the evidence, safety risk to the community, and previous history of offenses by the defendant.”

“Because this case is pending, in observance of the N.C. State Bar’s Rules of Professional Conduct, we will refrain from further comment,” the D.A.’s office said.

Spokesmen for Cawthorn, who is the youngest member of Congress, did not immediately respond to emails and voicemails requesting comment on the report.

Brad Smith, a criminal defense lawyer in Charlotte who represents people charged with carrying guns at Charlotte Douglas, told CNBC that it is a violation of Charlotte city ordinances to carry a gun at that airport.

Smith also said that although it is not “unheard of” for a person to receive a citation for such an offense, “certainly more often than not they are arrested” at the scene.

“More often than not you’re taken to jail, and booked,” Smith said.

“The DA’s office absolutely prosecutes those cases,” the lawyer said.

In February 2021, Cawthorn had an unloaded Glock 9mm handgun taken away from him by TSA workers at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina after it was found in his carry-on bag, according to reports at the time.

Cawthorn’s spokesman said after that incident that the congressman had brought the gun in the bag by mistake.

In March, Cawthorn was charged with driving with a revoked license, news outlets reported. He had faced the same charge in 2017, but that charge was dismissed, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.

At the time he was charged in March, Cawthorn also reportedly faced two citations in North Carolina for speeding: once for driving 89 mph in a 65 mph zone and another for driving 87 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/26/gop-rep-madison-cawthorn-brought-gun-to-north-carolina-airport.html