A Lima, Ohio, man was prevented from bringing a loaded handgun onto his flight on Friday when Transportation Security Administration officers at Pittsburgh International Airport detected the gun in the man’s carry-on backpack.
The 9mm gun was detected in the checkpoint X-ray machine. Officers confiscated the weapon and arrested him. The man also faces a federal financial civil penalty of up to $15,000.
TSA officers screened 2,884,683 travelers across the country on Friday, marking the highest checkpoint volume since TSA’s inception.
“Summer has been extremely busy and Friday was the busiest day ever in TSA’s 21-year history,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Our officers are doing a tremendous job staying vigilant while screening travelers during this peak period. It was the sixth gun our officers detected during June.”
Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Friday’s gun was the 21st firearm caught at the airport checkpoint this year.
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