Indiana County man charged after gun seized at Palmer airport checkpoint
An Indiana County man was arrested on a weapons offense after he was stopped from bringing a loaded handgun and a knife onto a flight Thursday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.
Transportation Security Administration officers detected the weapons — a folding knife and a .380-caliber handgun — in the man’s carry-on bag at the airport’s security checkpoint. The gun was loaded with six bullets, according to the agency.
Westmoreland County Police confiscated the weapons and detained the Indiana man for questioning before arresting him on weapons charges.
The incident marked the third time this year a gun was detected at the Arnold Palmer checkpoint.
Nationwide last year, more than 4,200 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country — averaging about 11.6 firearms per day. That’s a 7% increase from the previous year.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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