Man caught for 2nd time with loaded gun at Pittsburgh International Airport security
A Bethel Park man was caught for the second time with a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage at the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The man was stopped on March 15 with a .380-caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, according to Transportation Security Administration officials. He did not have a valid permit to carry a firearm, officials said.
The incident marked the second time the man, who was not identified, was caught with a loaded gun at a Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint.
He was also caught with a gun in 2014, agents said.
The gun seizure brings the total number of firearms caught at the airport’s checkpoints to seven so far in the first eight weeks of the year. Last year, a record 6,737 firearms were caught at checkpoints nationwide and Pittsburgh was part of that disturbing trend.
“When stopped by our officers, this man admitted up front that he had previously been caught with a gun in his carry-on bag several years ago,” said Karen KeysTurner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “Obviously he did not learn his lesson. His irresponsibility resulted in his needlessly introducing an unnecessary risk into the airport environment and as a result he will face a very stiff federal financial penalty that will likely cost him thousands of dollars, especially since this was the second time that he violated the firearms policy.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline checkin counter to be declared. Details on how to properly travel with a firearm are posted on the TSA website.
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.