Firearm discoveries by TSA decrease slightly
Federal officials found more than 1,500 guns at airport security checkpoints during the first quarter.
More than 1,500 firearms were found on travelers screened at airport security checkpoints across the country in the first three months of the year, according to federal officials.
Roughly 93% of the guns found by security officials were loaded, the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday in a news release.
The TSA screened more than 206 million travelers in the first quarter of 2024.
TSA officers found 1,503 firearms across the nation’s airports — the equivalent of about 16.5 guns each day. This is slightly down from the same period last year, when officers found 16.8 firearms per day, according to the news release.
“While it is certainly promising that the rate of passengers bringing firearms to the checkpoint has decreased, one firearm at the checkpoint is too many,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske wrote. “The demand for air travel is as strong as ever and security is always our number one priority. Every time we discover a firearm at the checkpoint, the security screening process is slowed down for all.”
Travelers can have firearms, but they need to properly pack them in checked baggage, Pekoske said. Firearms should be packed unloaded in a hard-sided case. Baggage with firearms must be declared to the airline at the ticket counter.
“We always recommend passengers start with a clean bag when they pack to ensure no firearms, weapons or other prohibited items are present,” Pekoske said.
The TSA does not confiscate guns at its checkpoints; instead, it contacts local law enforcement to safely unload and take possession of them, according to the agency. This could lead police to arrest or cite the passenger, and the TSA could impose a fine up to $15,000. Those passengers could also lose access to the TSA’s expedited screening process for up to five years.
There were about 15 million more travelers screened during this year’s first quarter than during last year’s. The TSA did not provide a breakdown for individual airports.
Last year, TSA officers found 145 guns in carry-on luggage at five Southern California airports. There were 81 guns found on passengers at LAX; 20 at Ontario International Airport; 25 at John Wayne Airport in Orange County; nine at Hollywood Burbank Airport and 10 at Long Beach Airport, according to the TSA. The five airports have seen steady increases since 2018, when 94 firearms were discovered.
Security officers found 33 firearms in the first quarter of this year across the five airports, officials said.