Rapper Too Short Was Carrying Loaded Gun ... At Burbank Airport

Rapper Too Short just got away with a crime that lands most people in jail ... taking a loaded gun to an airport ... then fleeing in his socks. 

The rapper, born Todd Anthony Shaw, was at Burbank Airport Thursday when he put his bag on the conveyor belt, and as it rolled he realized there was a loaded gun inside. We're told his reaction was immediately -- GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE. 

Problem is ... Short's wallet and shoes were also on the conveyor, so he left in his socks and without cash. 

We're told Too Short got in his car, drove off and called his lawyer and asked what to do. We're told the lawyer told him to go on his merry way and that he'd clean up the mess. 

So according to our sources ... Short's lawyer, Keith Davidson, went to Burbank Airport and convinced authorities to merely ticket his client for misdemeanor firearms possession and not arrest him. 

Meanwhile ... we're told Too Short went to nearby Van Nuys Airport and took a private jet to SFO. 

Too Short rose to prominence in the late 1980s out of Oakland. His hits include "Life Is ... Too Short" and "Blow the Whistle." 

Handguns ... leave home without them.

TMZ