Two men have been charged this month in separate incidents where both individuals brought firearms to Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Allegheny County Police Department said both men tried to bring firearms through the airport's Transportation Security Administration
security checkpoint in carry-on bags, an action forbidden by the agency. Additionally, neither man was licensed to carry a concealed firearm, police said.Here's the latest about what we know.
Two men charged after bringing guns to Pittsburgh airport
Two men with firearms at Pittsburgh International Airport were arrested in unrelated incidents.
On Nov. 5, Pittsburgh International Airport's TSA officers discovered a handgun in a carry-on bag belonging to 27-year-old James Andrew Holiday, according to Allegheny County Police Department.
Holiday, of Glen Dale, West Virginia, did not have a valid concealed carry permit, police said. He was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified.
Just two days later, on Nov. 7, TSA discovered a Smith and Wesson 4043 .40mm caliber handgun in a carry-on bag that belonged to 46-year-old Philip Ralph Wilson, according to police. Wilson, of Irondale, Ohio, didn't have a valid license to carry a concealed firearm, and he was arrested on a firearms charge. The FBI was notified.
Wilson was awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 23, according to court records. Holiday's case didn't appear in a search of public court records.
Is it illegal to bring a gun through airport security?
There are legal ways to transport firearms on a flight. Unloaded firearms must be transported in a hard-sided container as checked bags, according to the TSA. The container must be locked and not easily opened. All firearm parts except rifle scopes, as well as ammunition, must be transported in checked luggage. Rifle scopes are the exception, as they can be transported in carry-on or checked baggage.
Additionally, those transporting firearms must comply with all laws regarding the possession of firearms. Travelers with firearms must declare each firearm every time they present it for transport as checked baggage.
Carrying an unloaded firearm with ammunition that is accessible to a security checkpoint will result in the same penalty or fine as bringing a loaded firearm to the checkpoint, according to the TSA.
Replica firearms, including toys, must also be transported in checked bags and are not permitted in carry-on bags.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh TSA stops 2 men attempting to bring guns through security
