PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh resident was stopped at a security checkpoint Friday after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers detected a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport. The 9mm gun was loaded with 13 bullets, according to a news release from TSA.
Allegheny County police confiscated the weapon and issued a criminal citation.
“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times and they know that they are not permitted to carry them onto a flight,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “If you want to travel with your firearm, all someone has to do is pack it properly. Now this traveler faces a stiff financial civil penalty in addition to the criminal citation issued by the police.”
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2021, about 86 percent were loaded.
This year, the agency is on track to break a record for the total number of firearms officers detect at checkpoints nationwide.
Thirty-two guns were confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport in 2021. So far this year, 18 have been confiscated.
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