2 handguns intercepted at Pittsburgh International Airport TSA checkpoint over weekend

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two handguns were intercepted at the Pittsburgh International Airport main security checkpoint over the weekend.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers found the guns inside carry-on bags on Sept. 7 and 8.

The gun found on Sept. 7 was a 9mm handgun loaded with 12 bullets brought to the airport by a man from West Virginia.

The second gun was a .45 caliber firearm loaded with nine bullets packed alongside nine more bullets. The bag belonged to a man from Houston, Pa.

“These guns were intercepted at our checkpoint just days before the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our nation,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Let’s be clear, guns are prohibited on planes. People who own firearms always need to know where their guns are. And 23 years after 9/11, everyone should know that you are not allowed to carry any weapons past our checkpoints. Our officers are good at what they do and everyone who works for TSA is very mindful of how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 impacted our nation.”

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint.

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