Nov. 22—With more loaded guns turning up at airports and the holiday travel season starting, federal prosecutors and sheriffs' departments in Pennsylvania are trying to educate the public about how to legally transport a gun on a plane.

The state's three U.S. attorney's offices and 67 sheriff's departments said in a statement Monday that the Transportation Security Administration is on pace to seize a record number of guns at security checkpoints this year, despite the reduced number of flights because of COVID-19.

Thirty-two guns have been recovered at Pittsburgh International so far in 2021, 11 more than in 2020. The record was 35 in 2019, TSA said.

Most of the guns are loaded and the incidents cause delays.

The U.S. attorneys in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, along with the sheriffs' departments, reminded travelers not to put guns in carry-on bags. A concealed carry permit does not allow a passenger to carry a gun onto a plane.

Joseph Groody, president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association, said his organization is encouraging gun owners to double-check to make sure there are no guns in bags.

For those who don't or won't comply, prosecutors will pursue "all options including prosecution and referral of concealed carry permit holders to the appropriate sheriff," said U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Arbittier Williams of Philadelphia, John Gurganus of Harrisburg and Steve Kaufman of Pittsburgh in a joint statement.

Last month, Mr. Kaufman announced that passengers carrying weapons in bags could face criminal charges, fines or revocation of concealed carry permits.

All 67 sheriff's departments have agreed to provide permit holders with information about how to safely transport a gun on a plane and to review referrals from federal agents for permit revocations.

Passengers can travel with a gun if it's in a checked bag, properly packaged and declared at the ticket counter. Guns have to be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and packed separately from bullets.

The locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter and declared.

___

(c)2021 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.