A Chinese court on Monday dismissed a gun-possession charge filed against a Washington state senator who said he had mistakenly brought a gun to the Hong Kong airport.
Authorities arrested Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, on Oct. 20 after he said he found an unloaded firearm in his carry-on luggage midflight. He was traveling with his wife from San Francisco on the first leg of a five-week vacation in Southeast Asia, and the gun was missed by baggage screeners in Portland, he said.
“I packed quickly and failed to check the contents of my briefcase,” Wilson said Monday in a statement. “Over the Pacific, I reached into my briefcase for gum and felt my gun instead. My heart sank.”
He added that he reported the gun to authorities after landing in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Principal Magistrate Don So said that he believed Wilson didn’t break the law deliberately, Reuters reported.
“This is not the first time he came to Hong Kong or China, he used to be a trade delegate to Hong Kong and China,” So said, according to Reuters. “He should have known that the scrutiny in Hong Kong and China is strict.”
Wilson was ordered to avoid firearm-related offenses for the next two years and to pay a $255 fine if he violates that stipulation, KIRO-TV reported.
Earlier, Wilson described the incident as “an honest mistake.”
“I think we all can learn from what happened here,” he said on Monday. “First, of course, to always check your carry-on baggage before you go through airport security. But more important, when you make a mistake like this one, the right thing to do is to show respect and accept responsibility.”