Delta to ban checked firearms on flights to DC

Passengers check bags for a Delta Air Lines, Inc. flight during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by PATRICK FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Beginning this weekend, Delta Airlines will ban passengers from checking firearms on flights traveling to Washington, D.C.

The move is part of increased security measures ahead of President-elect Biden's inauguration next week.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian says the move is in response to last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol and warnings from the FBI of violence across the nation in the days leading up to Inauguration Day.

Bastian also said security measures will be stepped up at airports and on planes.

Only law enforcement will be exempt from the firearm ban.

The FAA has already warned travels that they could face significant fines and potential jail time for 'unruly behavior' on airplanes after video surfaes on social media of passengers heckling politicians in airports.

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