TSA finds West Leechburg man with loaded gun at Pittsburgh airport; 2nd person this week

A West Leechburg man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers Wednesday for, they say, trying to carry a handgun through the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.

He had a 9 mm gun loaded with 16 bullets, including one in the chamber, according to authorities.

The TSA did not identify the man by name.

He was the second person stopped this week by TSA agents.

On June 10, an Atlanta man was arrested for having a .357 revolver with 50 bullets in his fanny pack. The gun was unloaded, but it was packed with two speed loaders with six bullets each and additional loose rounds of ammunition, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

So far this year, 19 people have been stopped before bringing a gun through the airport. That’s a pace that would set a new record for guns caught in a single year, Farbstein said.

There were 26 guns caught at the airport last year.

The weapons were spotted in the x-ray machines and confiscated by airport police.

Both men will face a federal civil penalty of up to $15,000.

Farbstein said, when travelers bring a gun to the airport checkpoint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania requests county sheriffs to rescind a resident’s concealed carry license because of negligence.

“The proliferation of people bringing their guns to our checkpoints needs to end,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director. “Our officers have stopped four guns at our checkpoints in the first two weeks of this month — two in the last four days.

“Security is serious business, and we don’t need people introducing guns into the airport environment, regardless of whether there is any intent to do harm. Toting a gun to an airport is an accident waiting to happen.”

Though most travelers claim they forgot they had a gun on them, the behavior is inexcusable, Keys-Turner said.

“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times, and they know not to attempt to carry one onto a flight,” she said.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided, locked case, which has to be declared at the check-in counter.