TSA: Irwin man had loaded gun in carry-on bag at Pittsburgh airport

Federal security officers on Thursday said they stopped an Irwin man from bringing a loaded handgun onto a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport.

It is the eighth gun found at the airport this year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The .380-caliber handgun, loaded with six bullets, was in the man’s carry-on bag, officials said. Officials have not identified the man.

Allegheny County police confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning.

County officials said the man had a concealed carry license and will not be charged with any offenses at the state level. The case has been turned over to the FBI, which could bring federal charges.

It is standard practice for TSA officers to contact police when a gun is found, rather than handle the firearm themselves, a process which always means delays for other travelers, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

“The conveyor belt comes to a stop, so everybody in line behind that person has to move to another line — so now they’re inconveniencing other people,” she said.

Last year, TSA officers nationwide discovered 4,239 firearms in carry-on bags, a 7% increase from 2017.

Officers at Pittsburgh International Airport found 34 guns in 2018.

Those stopped with guns usually offer well-worn explanations for why they’re trying to bring a firearm onto an airplane, Farbstein said.

“The vast majority of people tell us they forgot they had their guns with them,” she said.

The second most common excuse is that the person’s spouse packed their bag for them.

“Neither of those excuses fly,” she said.

Neither, in most cases, do the people who make them.

Farbstein reminded travelers that to take a gun onto a plane they must keep it unloaded in a hard-sided case and declare it at the checked baggage counter.

“You can fly with your gun,” she said. “There’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it.”