U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said he doesn’t think Illinois lawmaker Donne Trotter should get off easy for trying to bring a gun onto an airplane.

Trotter is currently campaigning for the congressional seat once held by Jesse Jackson Jr.

He’s facing felony charges after security at O’Hare Airport found an unloaded gun and ammunition in his carry-on bag on Wednesday.

Durbin said he doesn’t know how Trotter’s case will turn out.

“But we can’t make exceptions because someone’s an elected official,” he said. “This applies to everybody across the board. Don’t tempt us, don’t try to test the system because we’re serious about safety on our airplanes.”

Senator Durbin’s comments were made during an appearance at a Christmas luncheon for the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago on Friday.

He also addressed the looming fiscal cliff.

Durbin said he’s confident Washington will come ot a solution in the next few days.

The senior lawmaker said Senate Democrats stand solidly behind the President.

“The real difference is with Speaker Boehner and whether the House of Representatives will agree with the President for a bipartisan approach,” he said. “It has to be bipartisan in the Senate, if it’s bipartisan in the House, we can get it done.”