This handgun was detected in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Jan. 2. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH –Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport detected a loaded handgun inside an Ohio woman’s make-up bag, which was tucked inside a backpack that she carried to the security checkpoint on Monday, Jan. 2. The loaded .380 caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets and was detected when the backpack entered the checkpoint X-ray machine.
When the gun was spotted, TSA officers notified the Allegheny County Police, who confiscated the gun. The woman told officials that she did not realize that she had her gun with her and thought that the gun was at home.
When a traveler brings a gun to the airport checkpoint, the U.S. States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania requests local county sheriffs to rescind a resident’s firearm concealed carry license due to negligence.
“Forgetting that you are carrying a loaded handgun is irresponsible,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “If you own a firearm, you need to take responsibility for knowing where it is at all times. This individual has gotten off to a very poor start to the new year. Even if someone has a permit to carry, they still are not permitted to bring a gun onto a flight. This woman now faces a stiff financial civil penalty—a penalty that was recently increased to up to $15,000 for a weapons violation at an airport.”
Guns detected at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints, 2017 to 2022
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Guns caught at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoints |
32 |
34 |
35 |
21 |
32 |
26 |
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $15,000 to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating or aggravating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Travelers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage if they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane with checked baggage. Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and travelers should check into firearm laws before they decide to travel with their guns. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident. Guns at checkpoints delay travelers from getting to their gates.
