Another Gun Seized At Pittsburgh Airport

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA — Transportation Security Administration officers at Pittsburgh International Airport intercepted a handgun at the main security checkpoint on Sunday. The teal-colored 9mm firearm, which was not loaded, was detected inside a woman’s purse.

When TSA officers detected the firearm, the checkpoint lane came to a halt until police removed the woman’s purse from the X-ray machine. Police confiscated the firearm, which belonged to a woman from Ligonier, Westmoreland County.

“This individual told us that she is in the process of moving residences and that she forgot that she placed the gun in her purse,” Donald Weston, TSA’s acting federal security director for the airport, said in a statement.

“Forgetting where you placed your gun is no excuse. Responsible owners of a firearm always know where their gun is. If you must travel with your firearm, the proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft.”

There now have been 34 weapons seizures at the airport this year. The record number of 43 was set last year.