On the morning of May 3, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a woman from Westmoreland County, Pa., at Pittsburgh International Airport while she was carrying a pistol in her carry-on bag; a TSA press release said. Seven rounds, including one in the chamber, were loaded in the gun.

Airport police were called after a TSA officer discovered the pistol in the checkpoint's X-ray machine.

“It is the busy spring travel season and when someone shows up with a firearm at the checkpoint the conveyor belt is stopped until the police arrive and can remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine to safely secure the weapon," Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security director for the airport, said in the release. "Bringing a loaded gun to a security checkpoint slows down the individuals in that lane, but more concerning is that it represents a security and safety risk. Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage.”

Police arrived at the checkpoint, seized the firearm and issued a citation to the woman. The woman, an Irwin, Pa., resident, will also be subject to a federal financial civil penalty. Depending on the situation, federal fines for bringing weapons to the checkpoint can reach $15,000 or more.

Firearms may only be transported by passengers if they are unloaded and placed in a lockable, hard-sided case in checked baggage. After that, the locked case needs to be brought to the airline check-in desk and declared. On its website, TSA gives instructions on how to safely travel with a firearm. Because passengers should not have access to a firearm during a flight, firearms are not allowed through a security checkpoint. The rule also applies to passengers with concealed carry licenses and TSA PreCheck members, who risk losing their privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint.