TSA stopped a man from Georgia, with this loaded handgun among his carry-on items at the Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoint on Friday, Sept. 29. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport caught a Georgia man with a 9mm handgun at the security checkpoint on Friday, Sept. 29, marking the third gun that TSA officers detected at the airport last week. The handgun that was loaded with six bullets.
The good catch followed the detection of a loaded gun on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and a revolver that also was removed from a traveler’s carry-on bag on Sunday, Sept. 24 at Pittsburgh.
Each individual 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.
“There is absolutely no excuse for bringing a gun to one of our checkpoints,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “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.”
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 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 10/1/23) |
|
Pittsburgh International Airport |
32 |
34 |
35 |
21 |
32 |
26 |
33 |
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).