Signs on a tablet at the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport offer a final warning not to bring a gun into the checkpoint. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH – A Pennsylvania man on Wednesday (Dec. 6) , a Massachusetts man on Thursday (Dec. 7) and an Ohio man today, on Friday (Dec. 8) were all caught with handguns at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The three guns caught this week increased the tally of guns caught by TSA officers at the airport’s checkpoints to 43 so far this year, eight more than the previous record of 35 firearms caught in 2019.
“At this point, it’s an epidemic in terms of the frequency in which we are seeing travelers bringing guns to our checkpoint,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “When someone purchases an online ticket, they are required to acknowledge that they have read a screen, which states guns are prohibited. We have large signs in the terminal that indicate no guns are permitted. And there is a tablet at the checkpoint that offers a final warning that guns are not permitted. It is absolutely irresponsible of these gun-toting individuals to ignore the warnings over and over again. The result in these cases was that the two individuals on Wednesday and Thursday who did not have proper firearm permits were each arrested by the police. The man who was caught today was not arrested by police because he had the proper permit. However, all three face a stiff federal financial civil penalty that will cost them thousands of dollars.”
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.
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 weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the 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. This also applies to travelers who are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint.
The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
When a gun is detected in the checkpoint X-ray unit, the conveyor belt is stopped and the police are notified. Police remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray unit because TSA does not want its officers handling firearms. Police determine whether a traveler is arrested or issued a criminal citation. Meanwhile the remaining passengers in the checkpoint lane either wait for the issue to be resolved or they are shifted to another checkpoint lane, thus delaying dozens of passengers from getting to their gates.
TSA firearms catches at airport checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport, 2017 to 2023
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (as of 12/8/23) |
|
Pittsburgh International Airport |
32 |
34 |
35 |
21 |
32 |
26 |
43 |
Nationwide, TSA officers have prevented more than 6,000 guns from getting through security checkpoints so far this year. Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at checkpoints nationwide and the agency is on track to surpass the record-setting number of guns caught nationwide in 2022. Pittsburgh is part of that disturbing trend.
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).