As a Slippery Rock man faces fines after bringing a loaded 9 mm handgun to the Pittsburgh International Airport this month, the county Sheriff’s Office reminds residents to “double, triple check your bags.”

“It’s for people to double check their luggage, double-check borrowed luggage, carry-ons, whatever it might be,” Sheriff Michael Slupe said, “so that we can avoid these types of incidents with otherwise law-abiding citizens.”

In 2021, Slupe said the TSA seized a record number of firearms in Pennsylvania, prompting United States attorneys offices to allow county sheriffs to revoke concealed gun carry permits from offenders.

“The problem there was it sparked some issues with some of the sheriffs who just aren’t into revoking licenses of otherwise law-abiding citizens,” Slupe said.

He said the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association and the United States Attorneys Office then met to help educate citizens on the penalties and dangers involved with traveling with firearms. The meeting resulted in an educational article on the issue.

“We wanted to work with the United States Attorney’s Office to help by educating the citizenry in each county,” he said.

In addition to possible criminal charges and the revocation of concealed carry permits, he said the article outlined the strict civil penalties offenders face.

“The TSA may issue a $3,000 to $13,910 civil penalty to travelers who bring weapons to the security checkpoint,” Slupe said.

These penalties apply to travelers with or without concealed carry permits, according to the article.

“What surprised me, whenever we had our meeting at the federal courthouse prior to this article, is that there are over 100 signs before you get to the TSA checkpoint that say, ‘Firearms not allow, no firearms,’ that type of thing,” Slupe said. “A hundred. That’s just crazy.”

And while passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage, the article explains that they must be properly packaged and declared at the airline ticket counter.

“Firearms must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition,” it read. “Then the locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.”

The article stated that firearm seizures declined in 2022, but Slupe emphasized the importance of constant vigilance.

“The biggest takeaway is that we’re trying to prevent another incident from happening — in this last case it was a Slippery Rock individual — by repeating what we said,” he explained. The Slippery Rock man was arrested Aug. 7 at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Slupe said the Sheriff’s Office would continue to share information with gun owners and promote education on the risks and penalties for offenders.

“It’s about making the public aware that this happened and it could still happen to you,” he said. “We don’t want it to happen to you. Check your baggage — double-check your baggage.”