Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport stopped a local man from carrying his 9mm handgun through the busy airport checkpoint on the busiest checkpoint throughput day in TSA’s 22-year history when more than 3 million travelers were screened for the very first time. The gun was not loaded.
The firearm was in the man’s bag and when TSA officers detected the gun they contacted the police, who reported to the checkpoint and and took possession of the firearm.
“This was a rare instance in which the man had his unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case as he was supposed to do, and when he brought it to the airline check-in counter to declare he wanted to fly with it,. Instead, the man took the case to the checkpoint,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “The man was permitted to properly check the firearm for transport as checked baggage. However, when our officers detect a firearm at a checkpoint, it delays the passengers in that lane until the situation is resolved.”
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. This also applies to travelers who are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint.