Man carrying loaded handgun stopped from boarding flight at Pa. airport: TSA

A man was stopped from carrying a loaded handgun onto a flight leaving Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday, the 40th time this year Transportation Security Administration officers there have caught a gun at a checkpoint.

According to a TSA news release, the unidentified man from the North Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh was carrying a .380-caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber.

“This was irresponsible on the part of this traveler during one of the busiest holiday travel periods of the year,” said Karen Keys-Turner, the TSA’s federal security director for the airport.

“Incidents such as this are dangerous,” she said, “they disrupt our security screening operations and cause delays for other law-abiding travelers who just want to get on their flight to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday period.”

Allegheny County police told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the man had a valid concealed-carry permit. Police said the man would likely not be charged, but Keys-Turner said he faces federal civil penalties that could run into the thousands of dollars.

“There is no excuse for bringing a gun to the checkpoint, said Keys-Turner. “Responsible gun owners do not bring their guns to a checkpoint.”

With a little more than a month to go in 2023, the number of guns confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoints has surpassed the previous record of 35 set in 2019.

The number of confiscated guns at the airport hit a low of 21 in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in travel but climbed to 32 in 2021 before falling to 26 last year.

Rules for flying with guns are available on the TSA website .