TSA at Pittsburgh Airport prevents loaded weapons from being placed on the flight

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Transportation Security Administration agents on Wednesday prevented another passenger from putting a loaded gun on a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport.

This is the second time in two days that TSA agents discovered a loaded gun at the airport checkpoint from passengers who “didn’t know they had their loaded guns with them,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, it said in a statement.

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TSA agents found the .40 caliber gun, loaded with six bullets, in a carry-on bag belonging to a resident of Beaver, Pennsylvania. According to the TSA, the passenger told officers that he had the gun for hunting but forgot that he still had it with him.

Just the day before, agents found a loaded 9mm pistol with seven bullets in a backpack of a passenger in Dover, Ohio.

“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times and don’t make such negligent mistakes,” said Keys-Turner. “Now everyone faces significant financial penalties from the TSA that could cost them thousands of dollars.”

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent wears a protective mask and stands behind a protective barrier. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to the TSA, passengers can expect a civilian fine of between $ 3,000 and $ 13,910 for loading guns and gun parts at a checkpoint.

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“Civil penalties for bringing a handgun to a checkpoint can run into thousands of dollars, depending on extenuating or aggravating circumstances,” the TSA said in its press release.

These penalties apply to travelers regardless of whether they have a concealed permit to carry a weapon, “because although a person can have a concealed permit, a firearm cannot be taken on an airplane,” the TSA said.

The TSA found 20 firearms at the airport in 2021, up from 21 firearms in 2020.

Last year, over 3,200 firearms were found at checkpoints across the country, either on passengers or in hand luggage, and 83% of them were loaded, according to the TSA.

That year, the TSA “caught about 10 firearms per million passengers compared to about five firearms per million passengers in 2019,” the agency said, noting the total number of passengers being monitored nationwide compared to times before the pandemic fell by 500 million.