PITTSBURGH - Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers prevented a woman from bringing a loaded handgun on board a plane at a Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) checkpoint yesterday.
The passenger was stopped by TSA officers with a loaded Ruger.380 handgun.
TSA officers detected the gun and ammunition as the passenger was passing through the airport checkpoint. The TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray machine detected the firearm as it passed along the conveyor belt inside the woman’s purse. TSA officers immediately contacted the Allegheny County Police Department, which responded to the checkpoint. The passenger was questioned and issued a summons.
To date, TSA officers have detected 21 firearms at PIT checkpoints this year. TSA found 22 firearms at PIT last year.
There is a right way to travel with a firearm and a wrong way. The wrong way is to bring it to a checkpoint. Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the firearm must be taken to the airline check-in counter.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm on TSA.gov. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition so travelers should contact their airline regarding firearm and ammunition carriage policies.
The Transportation Security Administration screens approximately 2 million passengers and their luggage every day for prohibited items, including weapons and explosives. To do this, TSA uses imaging technology to safely screen passengers for any items which may be concealed under clothing, while X-ray units screen all carry-on baggage.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
