2 passengers caught with guns on same day at Pittsburgh International Airport

A California man tried taking a revolver in his carry-on bags at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday, just hours after a West Virginia woman was caught with a loaded handgun, officials said.

Transportation Security Administration officers stopped the Chula Vista man at the checkpoint after they found a .22-caliber revolver in his carry-on bag, said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

She said the revolver was not loaded. A handgun caught hours earlier was.

The Arthurdale, W.Va., woman had a loaded, camouflage-color 9mm handgun in her carry-on, Farbstein said. It was loaded with eight rounds.

Both passengers were detained, questioned by Allegheny County police and cited for weapons violations, she said.

The guns found Monday were the 10th and 11th found in carry-on bags at Pittsburgh International so far this year, Farbstein said. Security officers caught 34 in 2018. That was up from the 32 found in 2017.

Across the country, security officers caught 4,239 firearms at carry-on checkpoints last year, she said. Of those, 86% were loaded, and 34% had a chambered round.

A first offense can result in a fine of $3,900, though the citation could be up to $13,000, Farbstein said.