2nd traveler in 3 days stopped with gun at Pittsburgh International Airport
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A woman on Tuesday was the second traveler in three days to bring a gun to the Pittsburgh International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration said.
TSA agents said they found a loaded .380 caliber handgun in the Troy, Bradford County, woman's backpack early Tuesday morning. The woman faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty.
On Sunday, a Mayport, Clarion County woman was stopped with a .38 caliber revolver loaded with six bullets. TSA agents said they found the gun in her belongings. She also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty.
Federal penalties for bringing weapons to the checkpoint can run as high as $15,000, the TSA said.
"The high number of travelers who are bringing their loaded guns to our security checkpoints needs to stop. There is absolutely no excuse for bringing a firearm to one of our checkpoints," said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA's Federal Security Director for the airport, in a news release. "Travelers are responsible for the items that they have in their possession. Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage. Responsible gun owners know this."
Passengers are allowed to travel with guns in checked baggage if they're unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and declared at the check-in counter.
So far this year, the TSA has caught 32 firearms at the Pittsburgh International Airport. The most ever stopped in a year was 35 in 2019. The TSA said it has caught more than 4,000 guns at security checkpoints across the country.