'An honest mistake.' Washington state senator arrested in Hong Kong for bringing gun on an airplane

October 24, 2023 / 2:08 pm

caption: Washington State Senator Jeff Wilson, Republican, of Longview.

Washington State Sen. Jeff Wilson was aboard a flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong when he reached into his briefcase for some gum. He found a gun instead.

Wilson is currently out on $2,500 bail after being arrested in Hong Kong for bringing a gun onto the flight and into the foreign region.

“It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,” Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson, a Republican from Longview, said he was unaware that the unloaded gun was in the briefcase he took with him while traveling. The firearm made it past security agents and screeners at the Portland airport, which has raised concerns. The senator said he became aware that the gun was with him during a flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong.

Once in Hong Kong on Friday, Wilson said he alerted customs officials about the gun. He was promptly arrested, and released on bail Sunday.

Wilson has a concealed weapons permit in Washington state, but in Hong Kong, he has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm. The New York Times reports that the crime is punishable in Hong Kong by up to 14 years in jail and a fine amounting to $12,800. Wilson is set to appear for a court hearing on Oct. 30 and said he hopes the legal matter will conclude within a week.

“I’m going to remain in Hong Kong. I’m quite happy and healthy," Wilson told Oregon Public Broadcasting Monday.

The arrest comes as Wilson and his wife were embarking on a five-week vacation in Asia. The state senator is also a port commissioner in Longview and planned to meet with trade officials from the port of Shanghai.

While talking with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Wilson also blamed security at the Portland airport for not finding the weapon in the first place. In a statement provided to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Transportation Security Administration said that it "is aware that a passenger on a flight departing from (PDX)... passed through security and traveled with an unloaded firearm in his carry-on bag. TSA takes this situation very seriously and is currently investigating the circumstances.”

TSA agents have discovered a total of 43 firearms in passengers' baggage at Portland International Airport during the first three quarters of 2023. Nationally, TSA has taken in 5,072 firearms at security checkpoints this year. In 2022, TSA intercepted 6,542 firearms and officials expected to pass that number by the end of this year. According to TSA, this adds up to 19.8 guns per day, and 94% of the guns were found loaded.

“Passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be in their checked baggage,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement published Oct. 2. “Firearms are only permitted in checked baggage, unloaded in a locked, hard-sided case, and must be declared to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport, or in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction.”

If a passenger is found attempting to take a gun through a security checkpoint, TSA agents will confiscate the firearm and notify local police, who may issue a citation. TSA also has the option of imposing a $15,000 civil penalty.