TSA officers catch two more guns on Thursday, marking five in the last eight days at Pittsburgh International Airport

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport caught two travelers with handguns at the security checkpoint on Thursday, Oct. 12. That makes five guns caught in the last eight days.

“If you own a firearm and plan to fly, I urge you to search each item that you have packed in your messenger bag, knapsack, roller bag, handbag or any other bag that you plan to carry onto the plane, “said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “We are seeing too many travelers bringing guns to our checkpoints. We are seeing people both with and without gun permits showing up with their firearms. Even if you have a permit to carry, you cannot bring it through a checkpoint and onto a plane.

“Our officers are vigilant and yesterday they prevented two deadly weapons from getting onto an airplane. People who bring their guns to our checkpoints create a potentially dangerous situation through their own actions,” Keys-Turner added. “Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint.” 

Yesterday a man from Mississippi was caught with a 9mm handgun. There was a loaded gun magazine packed alongside the firearm. Allegheny County Police confiscated the weapon and arrested the man, who did not have a gun permit.  Hours later a local man from Imperial, Pa., was caught with a .380 caliber handgun. The gun was packed with a loaded magazine. Police confiscated the gun, but did not arrest the man because he had a Pennsylvania gun permit.

Each individual now faces a stiff federal financial penalty for bringing their guns to the checkpoint. “Bringing guns to checkpoints is a serious security violation and they can expect to receive a fine that will be in the thousands of dollars,” Keys-Turner said.

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.   

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.

TSA firearms catches at airport checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport, 2017 to 2023

Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at airport security checkpoints nationwide. During the first nine months of 2023, TSA officers detected more than 5,000 guns at checkpoints across the country and the agency is on track to surpass the record-setting number of guns caught in 2022. Pittsburgh is part of the trend in the increase of guns being carried to checkpoints across the nation.

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).