A Washington state senator was arrested at a Hong Kong airport on costs of possessing a domestically unregistered firearm, his workplace stated on Monday.

Jeff Wilson, a Republican who represents elements of southwestern Washington State, found the weapon on his flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong when he reached into his briefcase for a chunk of gum, his workplace stated in a press release.

Baggage screeners in Portland, Ore., had failed to note the unloaded pistol in his briefcase earlier than he departed for his journey, letting it go by way of airport safety, in line with his workplace. When he landed at Hong Kong Worldwide Airport, he informed customs officers there concerning the gun.

Mr. Wilson was arrested on Friday evening, then launched on bail on Sunday, his workplace stated. His subsequent court docket listening to is subsequent Monday.

“It was an sincere mistake,” Mr. Wilson stated within the assertion. “I count on the state of affairs to be resolved shortly.”

The Transportation Safety Administration, which manages passenger screenings at U.S. airports, didn’t reply to emailed requests for touch upon Monday evening. Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Division declined to touch upon Mr. Wilson’s arrest, saying that the authorized proceedings have been underway.

Mr. Wilson, who was elected to the Washington senate in 2020, has sponsored laws that made it simpler for museums to obtain weapons from firearm collectors. The invoice handed this 12 months.

In response to the assertion from his workplace, the pistol was correctly registered in Washington, and Mr. Wilson held a concealed-pistol license though the gun was unregistered in Hong Kong.

Mr. Wilson had began a five-week private trip along with his spouse, his workplace stated. He hoped to renew his deliberate journey to Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia as soon as the matter in Hong Kong was resolved.

Beneath Hong Kong’s legal guidelines, carrying firearms and not using a license is punishable by as much as 14 years in jail and a nice of as much as 100,000 Hong Kong {dollars}, or about $12,800.

In america, officers have raised alarms concerning the rising frequency of weapons at airport safety checkpoints. Passengers can journey with unloaded firearms in checked baggage if they’re locked in hard-sided containers. No weapons are allowed in carry-on baggage at any checkpoint, even when the passenger has a concealed-weapon allow.