PITTSBURGH — Transportation Security Administration officers stopped another loaded gun at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The agency says it stopped a Georgia man with a loaded 9mm handgun at a security checkpoint Friday.
It’s the third loaded weapon stopped at the airport in a week. Previously, officers stopped loaded weapons on Sept. 24 and Sept. 26.
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“There is absolutely no excuse for bringing a gun to one of our checkpoints,” said TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport Karen Keys-Turner. “Travelers are responsible for the items that they have in their possession. Firearms should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage. Responsible gun owners know this,” she said. “We are on the cusp of setting a new all-time high in the number of guns our team has detected at checkpoints here in Pittsburgh during a single year and we still have three full months left in 2023. This is not the type of record that we are looking to set. We would much rather see fewer travelers showing up at the checkpoint with their guns.”
The man now faces a federal financial civil penalty of up to $15,000.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. 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.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. So far this year, TSA has stopped more than 4,000 guns at security checkpoints across the country. At Pittsburgh airport, 33 guns have been stopped.
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