Loaded hand gun is 5th caught at Pittsburgh International Airport in 6 days

A Farmington man carrying a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun with seven bullets was stopped before he could board a flight Tuesday at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Transportation Security Administration officers stopped the man after spotting the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine. They alerted Allegheny County Police who then confiscated the weapon. County Police determined the 29-year-old man had a valid concealed carry permit and inadvertently left the gun in his carry on bag. The FBI was alerted and the man was allowed to fly.

County Police said charges are not expected to be filed.

Guns were also caught at the airport last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tuesday’s incident marks the 28^th gun caught at a check point at Pittsburgh International so far this year. In 2020, a total of 21 guns were caught at the airport. The most guns caught in recent years was 35 in 2019.

Of the guns caught nationwide by the TSA in 2020, about 83 percent were loaded.

Each incident will bring a substantial federal fine, according to the TSA.

“There is no excuse for a traveler who tries to carry a gun onto their flight,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “The vast majority of violators claim that they forgot they had their loaded guns with them. That’s no excuse. Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times and they know the proper way to transport a handgun to their destination.”

The TSA says the right way to pack a gun for a flight starts with the gun being unloaded. The gun should be packed in a locked hard-sided case and the case with the unloaded gun needs to be taken to the check-in counter.

“If you bring the gun to the checkpoint, you will be the recipient of a hefty fine from TSA,” said Turner.

The TSA said it reserves the right to issue a $3,000 to $13,910 civil penalty to travelers who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint.