Hornets exec allegedly caught carrying gun onto plane at Newark Airport

An NBA executive was arrested after allegedly trying to carry a handgun onto a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend, according to NJ.com.

Joshua Richardson, vice president of event presentation and broadcasting for the New Orleans Hornets, was trying to fly back to Louisiana on Friday when Transportation Security Administration agents found a .38-caliber handgun in his bag.

Richardson claimed he accidentally left the gun in his wife's bag by mistake, the report said,  but TSA agents only noticed it on the return flight when it almost slipped through security again.  That means the gun wasn't detected on the first flight from New Orleans to Newark.

This incident comes a day after an off-duty Florida firefighter was able to bring a handgun onto a flight from Orlando to Newark.  The woman discovered the gun only after she cleared TSA checkpoints in Orlando and reported it to Newark authorities.

Richardson said the gun was legally registered to his wife.  The Hornets VP was charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon, the report said.  The TSA said it will conduct a full investigation.

It's hard to blame the Newark agents for their oversights.  Even the city lost a whole NBA team this fall.