Racing exec had gun at airport
Christopher B. Paulsen, 51, Indianapolis, told officers he forgot the gun was in his carry-on bag, according to an airport authority police report.
He could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but his wife, Debra, said, "Our attorney has told us not to talk about it."
About 4 p.m. Monday, the Paulsens were passing through the security checkpoint into Concourse B at the airport when TSA agents saw the image of a gun in his carry-on bag as it passed through an X-ray machine.
According to the police report, TSA agents confirmed that the bag belonged to Paulsen, and he was detained while airport police were called to remove the gun and take out the loaded clip of bullets. Police confirmed TSA agents' suspicions that a bullet was chambered in a firing position.
Paulsen told the authorities that he had forgotten that the .380 caliber semiautomatic Kel-Tec pistol was in his bag. Paulsen did not resist or object to the security search that led to his arrest, the report said.
He was then arrested by airport police, charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a weapon into an airport control area and booked into the Marion County Jail. He was later released on $150 bond and scheduled for court Jan. 5.
Paulsen is a founder of the International Motorsports Industry Show, which was held last week at the Indiana Convention Center. The show drew an estimated 20,000 people from around the world, most of them in the business side of the racing industry.
He also is president and owner of C & R Racing, which is based in Indianapolis and has shops for fabricating race-car parts on the Northwestside and in North Carolina.
A former race car driver and Indy car chief mechanic, he is a member of the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame nominating committee. Indy Star