Number Of Guns Seized At Pittsburgh Airport Approaching Annual Record

FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, PA — Pittsburgh International Airport Transportation Security Administration officers discovered a loaded .40 caliber handgun inside a traveler's backpack at the security checkpoint on Tuesday.

The seizure of the gun was the 40th this year at the airport and is nearing the record of 44 weapon confiscations set in 2023.

In Tuesday's incident, Allegheny County police confiscated the weapon and discovered the traveler, Steven Lapp, 47, of Millersburg, Ohio did not possess a valid concealed carry permit. Lapp was arrested and is facing a felony charge for carrying a firearm without a license. The FBI also was notified.

“It is crucial for travelers to double and triple-check their carry-on items to ensure that there are no prohibited or illegal items inside,” Donald Weston, TSA’s acting federal security director for the airport. “Travelers who have prohibited items among their carry-on items will not only delay their checkpoint screening experience, but they slow down others as well."

Passengers who bring firearms into an airport security checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the TSA up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $13,910.