Scotty McCreery Cited for Carrying Loaded Gun Through Airport

Former American Idol winner and country artist, Scotty McCreery was cited for a misdemeanor violation last week after he was found by authorities in possession of a gun with ammunition at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina.

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According to The News & Observer, the 23-year-old singer and songwriter tried to bring a black, 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun, along with two boxes of ammo that contained 63 bullets through an airport security checkpoint on July 13.

Though McCreery does have a permit to carry a concealed firearm, PEOPLE reports he was cited for a "misdemeanor violation for trying to carry the firearm through an airport checkpoint and board a plane with it, according to authorities."

McCreery told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement that after being robbed at gunpoint in 2014, he's been a concealed carry permit holder for quite some time.

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"I take gun safety very seriously. While in-between tour dates last week, I went to go target shooting with a friend a few days before an early flight out of my hometown Raleigh-Durham airport," McCreery said.

"Unfortunately, I did not realize that I left my pistol in my backpack until the TSA found it during the security X-ray screening and rightly confiscated it. I had my concealed carry permit on me so once they had checked everything out, they then released me to catch the next available flight. Great to know our airport security force is on the job. I have learned a lesson that I won't forget."

In 2014, McCreery was the victim of a home invasion that found him and three friends robbed at gunpoint with a pistol and an assault rifle inside his Raleigh home. The perpetrator, Mikkail Jamal Shaw was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the home invasion.

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