PITTSBURGH, Pa. — TSA officers prevented two guns from getting on planes at the Pittsburgh International Airport last week.
Channel 11 already reported about a revolver found in a woman’s backpack on Sunday. The Allegheny County Police Department says the woman is facing charges for carrying a firearm without a license.
>>> Revolver found inside backpack at Pittsburgh International Airport, police say
TSA says a loaded handgun was found in the carry-on of a Claysville man on Friday.
“Since mid-June our officers have intercepted 10 firearms at our checkpoints here at Pittsburgh,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “Let’s be very clear about this. Firearms are not permitted past our security checkpoints. Period. Bringing a gun to a checkpoint means that travelers are introducing threats to the airport environment.”
Keys-Turner also said guns at airport checkpoint slow down lines, because the lane comes to a complete standstill until police respond and remove the gun, traveler’s belongings and traveler from the checkpoint.
“Travelers need to pay much closer attention to the items that they have inside their carry-on bags,” Keys-Turner said. “Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags. In addition, responsible gun owners know where their firearms are at all times and they know not to bring them to a security checkpoint. Both of these travelers can expect that TSA will issue them a costly Federal civil penalty.”
Passengers can travel with guns only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the circumstances.
So far in 2024, TSA officers have stopped 27 guns from getting on planes at Pittsburgh International Airport.
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