TSA seizes loaded 9 mm gun at Pittsburgh International Airport

A Pittsburgh man attempting to bring a loaded 9 mm gun with eight bullets onto his flight in a carry-on bag was stopped by a TSA officer Wednesday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport.

The TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, according to a TSA spokeswoman. She said airport police were alerted, came to the checkpoint and confiscated the weapon.

It was the 20th gun seized at the Pittsburgh airport checkpoint in 2023.

The man faces a severe federal financial civil penalty as high as $15,000.

“This past week has been one of the busiest travel periods of the year across the country,” Karen Keys Turner, TSA Federal Security Director for the airport said. “There is absolutely no excuse for bringing a firearm to an airport security checkpoint. It is the responsibility of the traveler to know the contents of their carry-on items before they get to the airport.”

The TSA says passengers are allowed to travel with firearms only in checked baggage as long as they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.

The TSA has information on its website on how to properly travel with a firearm.