TSA officers prevented a woman from carrying this handgun through the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport on May 3. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A Westmoreland County, Pa., woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport early this morning with her handgun in her carry-on bag. The gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber.
When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, airport police were alerted, came to the checkpoint, confiscated the weapon and cited the woman. In addition to being cited, the woman, a resident of Irwin, Pa., also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty. Federal penalties for bringing weapons to the checkpoint can run as high as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.
“It is the busy spring travel season and when someone shows up with a firearm at the checkpoint the conveyor belt is stopped until the police arrive and can remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine to safely secure the weapon,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Bringing a loaded gun to a security checkpoint slows down the individuals in that lane, but more concerning is that it represents a security and safety risk. Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms 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.
Firearms are not permitted through a security checkpoint because passengers should not have access to a firearm during a flight. This even applies to travelers with concealed carry permits or are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint. Individuals who bring their gun to a security checkpoint also face a federal financial civil penalty.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.
TSA firearms catches at airport checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport, 2017 to 2023
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (as of 5/3/23) |
|
Pittsburgh International Airport |
32 |
34 |
35 |
21 |
32 |
26 |
8 |
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating 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. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).