Loaded handgun found in Ohio woman’s makeup bag at Pittsburgh International Airport

Taylor Spirito
·2 min read
82

An Ohio woman was caught with a loaded firearm in her makeup bag at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.

According to TSA, the makeup bag with the gun inside was tucked away inside of a backpack that the woman carried through the security checkpoint on Jan. 2.

The loaded .380 caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets, officials said.

Allegheny County police confiscated the gun.

The woman reportedly told officers that she didn’t realize she had the gun with her and thought that she left it at home.

When a traveler brings a gun to the airport checkpoint, the U.S. States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania requests local county sheriffs to rescind a resident’s firearm concealed carry license due to negligence.

“Forgetting that you are carrying a loaded handgun is irresponsible,” said TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport Karen Keys-Turner. “If you own a firearm, you need to take responsibility for knowing where it is at all times. This individual has gotten off to a very poor start to the new year. Even if someone has a permit to carry, they still are not permitted to bring a gun onto a flight. This woman now faces a stiff financial civil penalty—a penalty that was recently increased to up to $15,000 for a weapons violation at an airport.”

Travelers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage if they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane with checked baggage.

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