Greensboro, NC -- Police at Piedmont Triad International Airport cited and charged a passenger Sunday for carrying a loaded pistol through an airport checkpoint.

The Transportation Security Administration said agents found the .45 caliber pistol in the passenger's carry-on bag around 5 a.m. Sunday.

Airport police took the gun and ammunition and cited the passenger on a local charge, according to TSA.

So far this year, TSA has found four guns at PTI checkpoints and more than 1,100 guns at checkpoints nationwide.

Last year, TSA found 1,320 guns at checkpoints across the country, including eight at PTI.

Passengers who bring weapons through TSA checkpoints could face criminal charges and a civil penalty from TSA that could cost the passenger several thousand dollars.

TSA