Fennebresque was charged with possession of a firearm on city property — a misdemeanor — when police found a gun in his briefcase, according to the arrest report.
Airline passengers are permitted to travel with unloaded firearms only if they are locked in a hard container in a checked bag and are declared at the ticket counter, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Fennebresque was taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail, where he was given a $500 unsecured bond and released early Thursday afternoon, according to the report.
Until passing through a security checkpoint, Fennebresque told The Charlotte Observer he was not aware he had the handgun on his person but does have a legal permit to do so.
He said he and his wife were en route to the Dominican Republic for vacation, though the trip has since been canceled.
McGuireWoods LLP, where Fennebresque is vice chairperson and a member of the Executive Committee, declined to comment. But at the Board of Governor’s retreat at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, the arrest was briefly mentioned.
W.G. Champion Mitchell, chair of the Board’s Strategic Directions Committee, joked with Margaret Spellings that he hoped she was not planning on bringing any guns from Texas.
