Another passenger was caught with a gun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday evening, according to Allegheny County Police.
It was the second such incident in as many days.
Luis Arce, 35, of Somerville, Mass., did not possess a valid concealed carry permit to carry the loaded Walther PK .380-caliber handgun that Transportation Security Administration officers saw in his bag, according to police. The officers noticed the gun shortly before 6 p.m. at the main security checkpoint of the airport.
Arce is charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a gun without a license, and was being held in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting his preliminary arraignment.
The FBI was also notified about the incident, which comes after Nicholas Bello, 32, of Mt. Lebanon, was found to have a loaded Ruger LCP .380-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag on Wednesday.
Bello also did not have a valid concealed carry permit, authorities said, and faces the same charge as Arce. Police said he was released from custody and charges were filed via summons.
Allegheny County Police have now charged 14 people this year for bringing guns illegally to the airport.
Passengers are normally allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage. They must be unloaded and packed in a hard-sided, locked case . The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
Arce’s gun marks the 42nd gun confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport this year. That’s up from 26 in 2022, and 32 in 2021, according to according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. The previous record-high number, 35 guns, occurred in 2019.
