For the fifth time in September, someone trying to bring a handgun onto a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport was caught at the checkpoint.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a Homer City man from bringing his unloaded .380-caliber handgun onto a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport.
When TSA officers spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, they informed Allegheny County Police who then confiscated the weapon and temporarily detained the man for questioning before issuing a court summons.
It’s the 23rd gun caught at the checkpoint this year and fifth one this month, including previous incidents on Sept. 7, 8, 10 and 14.
“Travelers should not be bringing guns to the checkpoint because they are not permitted to be carried through a TSA security checkpoint,” said TSA Federal Security Director Karen Keys-Turner. “Even if someone has a concealed carry permit, it does not give you permission to bring a gun or any other weapon onto an airplane.”
Turner said the man now faces a federal financial penalty that could cost him thousands of dollars.
While travelers are not allowed to carry their guns onto airplanes, passengers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage. Guns must be properly packed and declared at the ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane with checked baggage.
Guns that are checked must be unloaded and packed in a hard-sided case separate from ammunition.
