TSA officers at Pittsburgh International Airport intercepted this gun at one of the security checkpoints on Feb. 17. (TSA photo)
PITTSBURGH –Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) intercepted a gun from an Ohio woman who was going through the checkpoint screening process on Sunday, Feb. 17. The .25 caliber handgun was packed alongside a gun magazine loaded with eight bullets. It was the fifth firearm that TSA officers have detected so far this year at one of the checkpoints. Last year TSA officers intercepted 42 guns at the airport’s checkpoints, the most of any airport in the state.
“If someone wants to travel with their gun, all that we ask is that you pack it safely and securely,” explained Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania. “The proper way to transport a firearm for a flight is to make sure it is unloaded. Then pack it in a locked hard-sided case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter and declare that you want to fly with it. The airline representative will make sure it is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it during the flight. It’s a fairly simple process.”
TSA has details on the proper way to pack firearms and ammunition on its web site here.
“Because the woman brought her gun to a checkpoint, she now faces a stiff federal financial penalty that could cost her thousands of dollars,” Spero said.
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 intercepted at airport checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport, 2017 to 2025
Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (As of 2/17/25) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh International Airport | 32 | 34 | 35 | 21 | 32 | 26 | 44 | 42 | 5 |
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).