Rocker Van Halen to Face Weapons Charge : Burbank: Guitarist says he forgot to leave loaded gun out of carry-on luggage at airport, authorities say.

Rock star Eddie Van Halen will be charged today with carrying a loaded .25-caliber semiautomatic gun into Burbank Airport, a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine, six months in County Jail or both, prosecutors said Monday.

The Beretta was found inside a piece of carry-on luggage and spotted by a routine security X-ray machine before Van Halen boarded a United Airlines flight Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Van Halen, 40, of Studio City was detained by airport police for about 30 minutes, and the gun registered under his name was seized as evidence.

“He was very cooperative,” Airport Police Chief Tony Lo-Verme said. “He stated he normally travels by charter, where you more or less do what you like. This time, he traveled by commercial aircraft and forgot to take (the gun) out.”

Van Halen is best known for his fast, masterful guitar licks as a member of the rock group of the same name, which recently hit the top of the music charts with the double-platinum album “Balance.”

At the time of his arrest, Van Halen had been on his way to the San Francisco Bay Area to perform in concerts last weekend, which were postponed due to the illness of another band member, said a spokesman for the star.

Van Halen could not be reached for comment Monday. But his attorney, Richard Hirsch, said, “We’re investigating the matter and, at the appropriate time, we will have public comment.”

Burbank Deputy City Atty. Robert Walters said he expects to file the misdemeanor charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm against Van Halen on Tuesday. An arraignment date has been set for April 21 in Burbank Municipal Court.

“He is likely to get a substantial fine, lose his weapon--which will be destroyed--and get probation,” Walters said.

Reports of air travelers carrying guns into Burbank Airport, he added, are made “all the time.”

“Inevitably, it involves someone who has lost track of the weapon. They usually don’t consciously carry firearms and sneak them onto a plane.”