WASHINGTON — A Fredericksburg, Virginia, woman stopped by security officials at Dulles International Airport with a loaded handgun told officials she borrowed a carry-on bag from her son and didn’t realize it contained a gun.

A Transportation Security Administration officer discovered the .380 caliber handgun, loaded with six bullets, after her bag went through the X-ray scanner at a TSA checkpoint. The woman, who was ticketed to fly to Dublin, Ireland, had the gun confiscated and was issued a summons by the Metropolitan Airports Authority police.

TSA rules allow travelers to carry guns but only if they’re packed in checked baggage and separate  from ammunition.

The number of guns that have turned up at TSA checkpoints at Dulles this year is slightly higher than last year, a TSA spokeswoman told WTOP. As of the end of November, TSA had confiscated 22 guns at Dulles’ checkpoints. In all of 2015, TSA confiscated 20 guns from Dulles travelers.