First gun of 2023 confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport

An Ohio woman was caught with a loaded handgun inside her makeup bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday. It was the first gun of the new year found at the airport after 26 guns were caught at Pittsburgh Airport checkpoints in 2022.

In this case, it was a loaded handgun tucked inside a backpack that the woman carried to the security checkpoint. Transportation Security Administration officers detected the .380-caliber handgun, which was loaded with six bullets, when the woman entered the checkpoint X-ray machine.

When the gun was spotted, TSA officers notified the Allegheny County Police who confiscated the weapon. The woman told officials that she did not realize she had her gun with her and thought it was at home.

“Forgetting that you are carrying a loaded handgun is irresponsible,” TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport Karen Keys-Turner said. “If you own a firearm, you need to take responsibility for knowing where it is at all times. This individual has gotten off to a very poor start to the new year. Even if someone has a permit to carry, they are still not permitted to bring a gun onto a flight.”

The woman faces a civil penalty that was recently increased to up to $15,000 for a weapons violation at an airport. Even though a gun owner might have a concealed carry weapons permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. When a traveler brings a gun to the airport, local county sheriffs are told to take that person’s concealed carry license.