Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) intercepted handgun at the main security checkpoint on Friday, November 8. The .40 caliber firearm, was loaded with 13 bullets. It was detected inside one of the man’s carry-on bags.
When TSA officers detected the firearm, the checkpoint lane came to a halt until the police responded and removed the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine. Police confiscated the firearm, which belonged to a man from Allison Park, Pa. Meanwhile, other travelers who were in line were forced to wait until the incident was cleared, delaying them from getting through the checkpoint and to their gate during the peak travel time of the day.
“Passengers need to have a higher awareness that their firearms cannot be carried onto their flight,” said Donald Weston, TSA’s Acting Federal Security Director for the airport. “One of the main reasons we are here at a checkpoint is to help ensure that weapons are not carried onto flights. So don’t come to the airport expecting to carry your gun through the checkpoint. If you must travel with your firearm, the proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft.”
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.
The original announcement can be found here.