Charges have been filed against a Maryland man who tried to bring a "ghost gun" into an office of the House of Representatives last Tuesday.
Thirty-five year old Jason White allegedly attempted to bring the gun into the Cannon House Office Building on June 24, just after 8:30 am. White had placed his bag through a metal detector at the building's security checkpoint when the firearm was detected, according to police. White told police that he had forgotten the gun was in his bag, according to CBS.
"There was no serial number present anywhere on the firearm," according to an affidavit shared with CBS News. All guns manufactured in the United States or imported into the states are required to have serial numbers that are typically on the back of the firearm's frame.
"Ghost guns" are firearms that are sold in parts and can be assembled by an unlicensed buyer. These at-home weapons lack the serial numbers required for law enforcement agencies to track the ownership of the firearm from the manufacturer to the original owner.
The affidavit alleged the firearm possessed by White had a barrel length of less than 12 inches and was "fully functional." White was arrested and is now facing a felony criminal charge. The charges said White is not licensed to even carry a gun within Washington, D.C. He has an expired permit for a firearm in Maryland.
The House was in session that morning as lawmakers, speakers, and staffers arrived at the Capitol for committee hearings. White's arrest is the latest in over twenty arrests for unlawful firearm possession on Capitol Hill this year, according to a review of police records by CBS News.