Man found with loaded gun at airport
A Butler County man was found with a loaded handgun at Pittsburgh International Airport last week, authorities said.
The man, who is from Cranberry Township, was stopped Sept. 2 with a 9 mm pistol loaded with 15 bullets in his carry-on bag, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
A TSA officer noticed the gun on the X-ray machine's monitor at the security checkpoint. The pistol was confiscated.
TSA officials contacted Allegheny County Police, who detained the man for questioning. The suspect was later released. Police did not return a telephone call Sunday.
Authorities did not release the man's name because the incident remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
The incident marked the 11th gun found at the Pittsburgh airport security checkpoint this year. In one of those incidents, a Mars man was stopped Feb. 25 with a .380-caliber pistol loaded with five bullets, including one in the chamber.
In 2019, authorities said, TSA officers found 35 firearms at the checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. In 2018, officers seized 34 guns.
TSA officials note that people who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement.
In addition, TSA can assess civil penalties, including fines as high as $13,669 for gun violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100, according to the TSA website.
To travel with a gun, it must be unloaded in a locked hard-side case in checked baggage only.
Nationwide in 2019, authorities said, 4,432 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 12 firearms per day — around a 5 percent increase from 2018.
