Loaded Gun Confiscated At Pittsburgh Airport Security Checkpoint

FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, PA — Transportation Security Administration officials announced Tuesday that TSA officers detected a loaded handgun in a Pittsburgh resident's carry-on bag at the Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoint on Oct. 7.

The 9mm gun was loaded with 13 bullets. After detecting the gun, TSA officers notified the Allegheny County police who confiscated the weapon and issued the traveler a criminal citation.

When a traveler brings a gun to the airport checkpoint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania requests county sheriffs to rescind a resident’s firearm concealed carry
license due to negligence.

“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times and they know that they are not permitted to carry them onto a flight,” Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, said in a statement.

“If you want to travel with your firearm all someone has to do is pack it properly. Now this traveler faces a stiff financial civil penalty in addition to the criminal citation issued by the police.”

The TSA can issue a civil penalty of up to $13,900 to anyone bringing weapons with them to a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of
dollars, depending on mitigating or aggravating circumstances.

That 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. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will lose their
TSA PreCheck privileges.

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