A Blairsville woman had a loaded handgun in her purse Wednesday when she was escorting her son to a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport, authorities said.
The woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers and was questioned by Allegheny County Police.
She was carrying a loaded 9 mm pistol in her purse, TSA officials said. The airline had given her a gate pass so she could escort her son to his gate.
It was the 15th gun stopped at a checkpoint at the airport this year. In 2018, the TSA reported there were 34 guns stopped at the airport’s checkpoint.
According to the TSA there were 4,239 firearms found at airport checkpoints across the nation — an average of more than 11 per day. It’s a 7% increase from the 3,957 guns found in 2017, according to the TSA.
Eighty-six percent of the guns were loaded and more than a third had a bullet in the chamber, the TSA said.
The typical penalty for a fire offence in $4,000 but the TSA can assess civil fines of up to $13,333 for firearms violations and criminal charges can be filed, the TSA said.
For information about how to legally travel with firearms, click here.
