Loaded Handgun Seized At Pittsburgh International Airport

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA — Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a man attempting to get a loaded gun through a Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoint on Monday.

The .38 caliber firearm was detected inside the Washington, PA man’s carry-on bag and was confiscated by police. Meanwhile, other travelers who were in line were forced to wait until the incident was cleared, delaying them from getting through the checkpoint and to their gate during the day's peak travel time.

“Responsible owners of a firearm always know where their gun is and they know not to bring it to an airport checkpoint,” Donald Weston, TSA’s acting federal security director for the airport, stated in a release.

“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.”

The weapon was the 35th seized at the airport this year. A record 44 guns were intercepted last year.