Gun found at Pittsburgh International checkpoint; no charges expected

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·1 min read

Sep. 14—Allegheny County Police said they do not expect to file charges against a 30-year-old Armstrong County man whose handgun was found in a duffel bag Wednesday at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Police said Transportation Security Administration officers spotted the gun at the main security checkpoint at 3:30 a.m. Police determined that the passenger had a concealed carry permit and left the gun in his bag.

Officers seized the weapon. TSA officials said the gun was loaded with nine rounds.

The number of guns found at airport security checkpoints appears to be declining this year. The most recent statistics showed that 16 guns had been caught in carry-on luggage at checkpoints through Wednesday, according to Transportation Security Administration statistics.

An average of 33 guns a year were found at checkpoints between 2017 and 2021, with the exception of 2020 when air travel was down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty-one guns were stopped at checkpoints that year, according to statistics.

Firearms must be packed in checked baggage. If they are located in carry-on luggage at a security checkpoint, the passenger could face federal civil fines of as much as $10,000. Federal prosecutors can request that a person's concealed carry permit be rescinded because of negligence, according to TSA officials.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .