TSA finds loaded handgun in woman's carry-on at Pittsburgh International Airport

Another gun has been caught at the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.

According to Allegheny County Police, Transportation Security Administration officers found a loaded .380 caliber handgun in a woman’s carry-on bag around 5:42 a.m. Thursday.

The TSA said the woman, a resident of Pittsburgh, had the gun in a bag similar in shape to a diaper bag, and told officials that she had no idea it was in her bag.

County police said they determined the woman has a valid concealed carry permit and inadvertently left the firearm in the bag.

The FBI was notified, and the woman was allowed to fly. County police confiscated the firearm.

County police said they do not expect to file any charges against the woman. However, the TSA said the woman faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty for bringing a gun to the checkpoint.

The penalty for a loaded firearm ranges from $3,000 up to $10,000, according to the TSA.

“If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “To stand there and tell us that you had no idea that you had a gun with you is absolutely inexcusable. It begs the question: ‘Where did you think it was?’ Travelers know where their wallets are, where their keys are, where they left their car. They should know where their guns are too.”

This is the ninth handgun stopped by TSA officers at the airport so far this year. The last, also a .380, was found on March 8. That compares to 21 caught at the checkpoint in all of 2020.

According to the TSA, travelers, including those with concealed carry permits, are not permitted to carry guns onto airplanes. Passengers are allowed to transport firearms as checked baggage if they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of planes.

Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm on its website.