Fifth gun of '24 confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport; Warren County man charged

A Warren County man was arrested Tuesday after, authorities said, he tried to bring a loaded handgun onto his flight at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Jeremy Snell, 36, of Warren was charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license after Transportation Security Administration officers found a 9mm handgun, loaded with 15 bullets, in Snell’s backpack about 3:25 p.m., TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

Snell didn’t have a valid, concealed carry permit, Allegheny County Police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said. Officers also notified the FBI.

The arrest brings the total number of guns caught in 2024 at the Findlay airport’s checkpoints to five, Farbstein said.

Last year, Pittsburgh International Airport set a record for the number of guns confiscated in a year — 44. The previous record was 35 guns, which was set in 2019.

“We are hoping to see fewer travelers bring their guns to our checkpoints this year,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “Responsible gun owners know not to bring their guns to a checkpoint because they cannot carry them into the cabin of a plane.”

Passengers who bring firearms into an airport security checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the Transportation Security Administration up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $13,910.

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. The case must be declared at an airline check-in counter.

Last year, a record 6,737 firearms were caught at checkpoints nationwide.