Saine is 2nd one held in year for gun at DIA
State lawmaker faces felony charge for Tuesday incident
State Rep. Lori Saine was only the second person arrested in the past 12 months for allegedly trying to bring a gun through a security checkpoint at Denver International Airport, according to Denver Police records.
Saine, who was arrested and jailed Tuesday afternoon after security screeners found a loaded semiautomatic handgun in a bag belonging to her, faces a felony charge of introducing a firearm into a transportation facility, police records show.
On Wednesday, she was released from jail on a personal recognizance bond and Denver County Court Judge Andrea Eddy authorized her to travel outside of Colorado. Saine travels frequently for her work, according to her lawyer, Randy Corporon.
Saine, who was wearing lightbrown, jail-issued scrubs, stood behind glass in the media-filled courtroom. Corporon objected to the Denver7 television camera in the room. Judge Eddy acknowledged the objection but noted that court policy allows a camera in the room and she had already approved the request.
According to probable-cause documents related to Saine’s arrest, a 9mm semi-automatic handgun found in the Weld County Republican’s bag during a Transportation Security Administration screening had four rounds of ammunition in its magazine, which was seated in the gun. There were no bullets in the chamber.
DIA is one of the nation’s top airports for gun seizures at TSA security checkpoints.
In the past 12 months, the Denver Police Department has responded to 106 reports of a firearm within a security checkpoint at the DIA, police records administrator Mary Dulacki said.
Last year agents seized more than 90 firearms at the airport and three people were charged with the offense, according to Ken Lane, spokesman for the Denver district attorney’s office.
Passengers found with a gun can face large civil penalties, as well as local and state charges. Firearms can legally be transported on a plane in a locked case in checked baggage.
Saine has been a defender of gun rights while at the Colorado Capitol, battling against a bill banning high-capacity ammunition magazines in 2013.