A Butler County woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers Monday morning when they found she had a loaded handgun at a security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Allegheny County Police were called in when the TSA found a .380 caliber gun loaded with six bullets in a Sarver woman's purse. Police confiscated the weapon after speaking with the woman.
"It is mid-way through the fourth month of the year and already we have caught more than half the number of guns we caught during all 12 months of 2020," said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA's Federal Security Director for the airport. "Let me say it very simply. Do not bring your gun to an airport security checkpoint. Even if you have a concealed carry permit, you are not permitted to carry it onto an airplane. If you want to travel with it, you must pack it properly so that it can be transported as checked baggage. If you do bring your gun to our checkpoint, you will face a stiff federal civil penalty that could cost you thousands of dollars."
So far this year, 11 guns have been caught at the airport. In all of 2020, a total of 21 guns were caught.
