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At Harrisburg International Airport, a Lancaster man was caught with a loaded 9mm handgun containing 13 bullets in his carry-on bag. TSA officers halted the screening process until police arrived, removed the weapon, and cited the man on a weapons charge. The firearm was returned to the passenger’s vehicle before he resumed his travels, TSA said.
Meanwhile, at Pittsburgh International Airport, TSA officers discovered a loaded .25 caliber handgun with six bullets in the backpack of a traveler from Eighty Four, Pa. The checkpoint was temporarily stopped, and police confiscated the firearm. Other passengers were delayed while the situation was resolved, officials added.
These incidents mark the 41st firearm found at Pittsburgh International Airport this year and the fourth firearm intercepted at Harrisburg International Airport.
Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania, urged travelers to carefully inspect their luggage before heading to the airport. “Travelers who have prohibited items among their carry-on items will not only delay their checkpoint screening experience, but they slow down others as well. Don’t be that person,” Spero said.
TSA emphasized that firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and declared at the airline check-in counter to be transported in the plane's cargo hold. Carrying a gun through a checkpoint can result in federal civil penalties up to $15,000, regardless of concealed carry permits, and TSA PreCheck privileges will be revoked for violators.
For detailed information on how to properly travel with firearms, visit the TSA’s Firearms and Ammunition page.
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