Loaded Gun Seized At Pittsburgh International Airport

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA — Pittsburgh International Airport Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a West Virginia couple from bringing their loaded .22 caliber handgun through a checkpoint on Monday. The weapon contained five bullets.

The firearm was in a woman’s carry-on bag. She told officials that she did not know it was among her carry-on items and that the weapon firearm belonged to her husband, with whom she was traveling. The man confirmed he was the gun owner.

Allegheny County Police then confiscated the weapon. Police seize firearms, not TSA officers.

“This is an excellent example of why it is so important the individuals pack their own bags; so they can ensure that there is nothing prohibited or illegal inside,” Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said in a release.

“It’s the busy Independence Day travel period and this is no time to be caught with an illegal or prohibited item among your carry-on items. It slows down the line and this is a very busy place. Nobody wants to wait in a checkpoint line because someone with a gun was careless and brought his gun with him.”

The man now faces a stiff financial penalty.

Allegheny County Police confiscated the weapon. Police confiscate firearms, not TSA.

The loaded weapon was the 21st seized at the airport this year. That number is on a pace to approach the airport's annual record of 44 guns seized that was set in 2024.