Country singer Scotty McCreery cited for handgun at airport

Country singer and "American Idol" Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery has been cited after he carried a loaded handgun with him at a North Carolina airport earlier this month, authorities said.

Authorities said they found a loaded 9-millimeter handgun in McCreery's backpack at a security checkpoint on July 13 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The singer told authorities that he had been at a firing range and forgot to take the gun out. He was flying from his native North Carolina to Nashville, Tenn.

McCreery, 23, had a valid concealed carry permit with him, authorities said. He was cited for a misdemeanor concealed weapon permit violation and released.

"I have been a concealed carry permit holder for a while now after being robbed at gunpoint in 2014 and I take gun safety very seriously," McCreery told People. "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."

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