Transportation Security Administration officers last weekend seized the fifth gun in seven days at Pittsburgh International Airport, bringing the total number of guns confiscated this year to 35.
Saturday’s gun catch ties Pittsburgh’s all-time record number of guns seized in a year, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. The 35-gun total was hit in 2019. Nearly three months remain in the year.
On Saturday, a Natrona Heights man was stopped with a .38-caliber handgun, Farbstein said. It was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber. His name was not released.
Farbstein has said TSA officials do not provide reporters with names of travelers.
“It’s a constant battle to prevent travelers from bringing their guns to our checkpoints,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “This proliferation of passengers toting their firearms with their carry-on items needs to stop.”
TSA confiscated a total of 26 guns in 2022, down from 32 the year before, Farbstein said.
Last year, security caught 6,542 firearms at airport checkpoints nationwide, Farbstein said. During the first nine months of 2023, TSA officers stopped more than 5,000 guns, which puts them on track to surpass the single-year national record, which was set in 2022.
Those trying to bring a gun onto a flight in the U.S. could face thousands of dollars in fines and possible criminal charges, according to TSA officials.
