Tennessee man caught with pistol at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint

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Tennessee man caught with pistol at Pittsburgh airport checkpoint

Bob Bauder | Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:47 p.m.

Transportation Security Administration

TSA officers found this handgun on Tuesday July 23, 2019, in a passenger’s carry-on bag at the Pittsburgh International Airport. TSA officers found this handgun on Tuesday July 23, 2019, in a passenger’s carry-on bag at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Federal Transportation Security Administration officers for a second time in three days discovered a loaded handgun in a carry-on bag as a passenger was going through a checkpoint at the Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday.

Allegheny County police detained the Tennessee man for questioning after confiscating the 9mm pistol loaded with two bullets, according to a TSA spokesman. The man was not identified.

TSA officers stopped a Brockway, Jefferson County, man on Sunday after discovering a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag. The gun was loaded with 10 rounds.

Travelers — even those with concealed firearms licenses — are prohibited from carrying guns onto an airplane. Those caught at a checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges. Instructions for properly transporting firearms can be found on the TSA website.

Tuesday’s incident marks the 22nd time this year that TSA officers at the airport have stopped a person carrying a gun. Last year, officers found 34 guns at checkpoints. They found 32 in 2017.

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