TSA finds 2 guns at Pittsburgh International Airport ahead of 9/11 anniversary

PITTSBURGH (WKBN) — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported intercepting two guns at Pittsburgh International Airport just days before the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

TSA officers at the airport intercepted a handgun in a carry-on bag on Saturday and another one on Sunday at the main security checkpoint.

The firearm that was intercepted at the checkpoint on Saturday was a 9mm handgun loaded with 12 bullets belonging to a man from Belington, West Virginia. The one detected on Sunday was a .45 caliber firearm loaded with nine bullets that was packed alongside nine additional bullets in a carry-on bag belonging to a man from Houston, Pennsylvania.

When TSA officers detected the firearms, the checkpoint lanes came to a halt until the police responded and removed the carry-on bags and firearms from the X-ray machine. Meanwhile, other travelers who were in line were forced to wait until the incident was cleared, delaying them from getting through the checkpoint and to their gates.

“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.”

Keys-Turner said those found with the guns in their possession would be issued a “very costly” federal civil penalty. Civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the circumstances.

This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.

So far this year, 32 firearms have been detected at airport security checkpoints. This is in comparison to the 44 firearms intercepted in 2023 and 26 intercepted in 2022.

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