Attorney Craig Swapp enters plea in airport gun case

SALT LAKE CITY — Attorney Craig Swapp entered a plea in abeyance to an infraction filed against him after he brought a gun to the Salt Lake City International Airport.

The plea means the single charge of possession of a dangerous weapon in an airport security area will be dropped in six months if Swapp has no other charges or violations in that time. Swapp entered the plea before Salt Lake City Justice Court Judge L.G. Cutler, who ordered that Swapp turn in the gun and pay a $300 fine.

Swapp, known for his "one call, that's all" TV ads, was arrested at the airport in November after a gun was found in his carry-on luggage. Swapp has a concealed weapons permit and said he usually stores the gun in his safe when he travels, but was in a rush to get to the airport and forgot the gun was in his briefcase.

He said it wasn't his intent to take or use the weapon on the flight to Boise and that it was his first arrest.

"It was a dumb mistake on my part and I needed to pay the price, whatever that was," he told the Deseret News Tuesday. "I'm glad to have it done. Hopefully my experience will help other people with concealed weapon's permits pack more carefully."

— Emiley Morgan, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam