The Transportation Safety Administration says they intercepted a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints across the country in 2023. According to the TSA, their officers prevented a total of 6,737 firearms from getting into secure areas of the airport and onto aircraft last year. That’s an average of about 18 firearms per day. The agency says most of them, approximately 93%, were loaded.
“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are only allowed to travel with an unloaded firearm, and only if they pack it properly in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline at the check-in counter.”
This year’s total surpassed the record previously set in 2022 of 6,542 firearms stopped at checkpoints. However, the TSA also scanned more passengers this year, so the average dropped from 8.6 firearms per million passengers in 2022 to 7.8 firearms per million passengers in 2023.
Taking a firearm through the airport security line can have some serious consequences.
The TSA says transportation security officers who detect a firearm at a security checkpoint will immediately contact local law enforcement. Law enforcement will remove the passenger and the firearm from the area and may arrest or cite the passenger, depending on local laws.
The TSA will also fine the passenger with a civil penalty up to approximately $15,000, will revoke TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years and may conduct an enhanced screening to make sure there aren’t any further threats.
