TSA nabs 40th gun of year at Pittsburgh International Airport

Pittsburgh International Airport security stopped a North Hills man Saturday from boarding a flight while carrying a handgun, the 40th firearm Transportation Security Administration officers have confiscated this year to date at the Findlay airport.

The man’s .380-caliber handgun — which was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber — brings the total number of guns to five more than the previous record, which was 35 firearms caught in 2019, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

Allegheny County Police did not charge the man, who TSA did not name.

Police determined the passenger had a valid concealed-carry permit, county police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said Sunday. Charges are not expected.

“There is no excuse for bringing a gun to the checkpoint,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “Responsible gun owners do not bring their guns to a checkpoint. This was irresponsible on the part of this traveler during one of the busiest holiday travel periods of the year.”

“Incidents such as this are dangerous,” she added. “They disrupt our security screening operations and cause delays for other law-abiding travelers who just want to get on their flight to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday period.”

Farbstein said the man faces “a federal civil penalty that could cost him thousands of dollars.”

TSA officers have confiscated 40 guns at Pittsburgh International Airport this year, compared to 26 in 2022 and 32 in 2021, Farbstein said. After its 35-gun peak in 2019, the number dropped to 21 in 2020.

Nationwide, TSA officers have stopped more than 6,000 guns from getting through security checkpoints so far this year, Farbstein said. Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at checkpoints nationwide and the agency is on track to surpass its record-high numbers from 2022.

“Pittsburgh is part of that disturbing trend,” she said.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case, Farbstein said. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.