First I’d heard of this from U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder:

United States Representative Vic Snyder will hold a press conference today at 4 p.m. CST, to discuss the status of proceedings pending in the country of Bermuda involving his constituent, Mr. Gary Barket, Little Rock attorney and former chairman of the Little Rock Port Authority Board.  Mr. Barket was arraigned today in the Supreme Court in Hamilton, Bermuda, on firearms possession charges stemming from his arrest at the Bermuda International Airport on January 25, 2008. 

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But the Royal Gazette is on the case. It seems a couple of pistols and ammo were found in Barket’s garment bag as he was heading to a flight to Newark. The newspaper took this photo at his court appearance on the charge. He was granted bond, but may not leave Bermuda.

UPDATE: Snyder’s news conference was to say 1) that the guns were unloaded and in checked luggage, which is allowed by the TSA and 2) for good measure, Barket didn’t know the guns were in the bag. Snyder related a story about Barket’s wife looking in a closet for her parents cremated remains to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery. She ran across the guns and called them to Barket’s attention. He then put them in a garment bag, which he had used before to hide Christmas presents. He forgot about the guns and picked up the bag for the first time in months for a business trip to Bermuda, where he was helping a company prepare for a stock offering. A trial is set for June 23. The mandatory minimum sentence is 10 years. 

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