HARRISBURG, Pa. — On Christmas, a Washington County man walked into Pittsburgh International Airport with a loaded handgun before being stopped by TSA.
It was the 44th time a weapon had been seized at Pittsburgh International this year.
At Harrisburg International Airport on Dec. 22, a Florida man was arrested trying to go through a security checkpoint with a loaded handgun in his duffel bag. That was the eighth weapon found at that airport this year.
There have been 102 weapons incidents across Pennsylvania this year, according to the TSA.
Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, is introducing legislation to remove someone’s carry permit should they try to carry a loaded firearm onto a plane.
“You know, just – it’s hard to understand why this doesn’t get into people’s heads that they can’t do this,” he said. “And so now I think we have to take a look at, you know, an additional penalty that hopefully will be meaningful enough that people will take care not to behave just this way.”
Under the bill, gun owners could lose their license to carry if they try to take a loaded weapon onto a plane. This would be similar to losing a license for possessing a small amount of marijuana, Frankel said.
Right now, guns can be brought onboard if they are checked, in a locked, hard-sided container and unloaded. The owner must also declare their possession to the airline in advance.
Frankel recommends gun owners follow those rules to prevent any problems.
“If that’s important to you, to bring a firearm with you as you’re traveling, there’s a safe way and a legal way to do it,” he said. “But to endanger, actually, inconvenience travelers, employees at airports, TSA officials, you know, it’s just not acceptable.”
He noted bringing a loaded weapon can endanger passengers in ways other than being shot. He mentioned the chaos that could come from someone carrying one, the distraction to TSA officials and the inconvenience it could bring to passengers and airport employees.
“Despite, I think, efforts by both the TSA and local law enforcement, such as the sheriff’s offices, trying, you know, the fines have been increased, and signage has increased, but it has not put a stop to this type of behavior,” Frankel said.
Frankel said this is not a Second Amendment issue and won’t involve taking people’s guns.
While he has yet to get Republican sponsors, he said many gun owners have reached out in support of the legislation.
In 2022, the TSA stopped 6,542 firearms across the nation, 88% of them loaded, from entering secure parts of parts of airports. 2023 numbers will be released in early January.