"This is not an illegal item. It is a prohibited item, so no need for police," a TSA spokesperson told Newsweek ...

Matthew Lamar Gilbert, a TSA employee, was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for carrying a firearm beyond the security checkpoint and was charged with reckless conduct.

The Pittsburgh airport had 42 guns stopped at security last year — more than Philadelphia, where the checkpoint volume is significantly higher.