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A Swissvale woman was stopped at the Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoint with a 9 mm gun loaded with two bullets, with an additional 35 bullets packed in her carry-on, officers say.
After detecting the gun, TSA officers notified the Allegheny County Police who confiscated the weapon from the woman.
That same day at Harrisburg International Airport a Mechanicsburg woman was found with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets among her carry-on items
When the TSA officer spotted the gun and ammunition in the checkpoint X-ray machine, the police were alerted. TSA also forwarded the incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty.
“Bringing a loaded firearm to an airport security checkpoint is a serious offense,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “It’s an accident waiting to happen. Travelers should know better. Guns have been prohibited from being carried onto planes for decades before TSA even existed. So it should be no surprise when someone is stopped at our checkpoint, and is then heavily fined by TSA.”
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $13,900 to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint, according to the releases.
Both women's identities were not released.
The TSA reminds people traveling with firearms that your weapon must be unloaded, locked and separated from ammunition.
TSA firearm information can be found on its website.
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