W.Va. woman caught with loaded handgun at Pittsburgh airport

A West Virginia woman tried taking a loaded gun through security at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday, according to Transportation Security Administration officials.

The woman, from Monongalia County, had the 9mm handgun in her backpack, said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. The gun was loaded with seven rounds, including one in the chamber.

Allegheny County Police responded to the checkpoint, which was shut down when the gun was detected, Farbstein said. Officers confiscated the gun and detained the Maidsville woman for questioning.

Officials did not release the woman’s name.

Wednesday’s firearm discovery marked the seventh gun detected at Pittsburgh International checkpoints so far this year, Farbstein said. TSA officials caught 34 firearms at checkpoints last year.

Across the country, security officials found 4,239 guns in carry-on bags last year, a 7-percent increase over 2017, she said. Of those discovered in 2018, 86 percent were loaded, and more than one-third had a round in the chamber.

Farbstein reminded travelers that the discovery of a firearm in carry-on baggage forced the checkpoint lane to grind to a halt. A first-time citation by the TSA for bringing a gun to a checkpoint is $3,900.