Though the number of firearms the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) has intercepted at airport security checkpoints nationwide
is slightly down from 2023, a staggering number of firearms were still detected
in 2024.
During the first nine months of this year, TSA discovered
5,028 firearms at checkpoints with more than 93 percent of these weapons
loaded. The total represents an average of 18.3 firearms detected daily at TSA
checkpoints.
Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) screened
more than 678 million passengers through the first three quarters of 2024 comprising
record-setting summer travel volumes, compared to more than 638 million
passengers in the same period of 2023, an increase of nearly 6.3 percent.
The rate of firearms discoveries at TSA checkpoints during
the most recent quarter (July – September 2024) was 7.5 firearms per one
million passengers, which is a decrease from the same period in 2023 when
officers discovered 8.1 firearms per one million passengers.
“TSA is committed to keeping travelers, our officers, and
airport employees safe, and the number of firearms being discovered at airport
security checkpoints remains a significant challenge,” said TSA Administrator
David Pekoske. “Each firearm brought to a checkpoint, whether by accident or on
purpose, presents a threat to other passengers and our employees, and causes
delays for the traveler with the firearm.”
He added, "Passengers who travel with a firearm must store it
unloaded in a locked, hard-sided case, place it in their checked bag and
declare it to the airline at the airline ticket counter. We cannot stress
enough the importance of ensuring firearms are secured properly in the
passenger’s checked bag and never brought to the security checkpoint.”
Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the
secure area of an airport and in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, even if a
passenger has a concealed
carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction.
When traveling internationally, airline passengers are
responsible for learning about the firearms laws of their foreign destination,
which may prohibit traveling with firearms and carry significant criminal
penalties for doing so.
TSA does not confiscate or seize firearms. If a passenger
brings a firearm to the security checkpoint on their person or in their
carry-on luggage, TSA contacts local law enforcement to safely take possession
of the firearm.
Depending on local laws, the passenger may be arrested or
issued a citation. TSA may also impose a civil penalty of up to $15,000. For a
first offense, passengers will lose TSA PreCheck eligibility for five years. A
second offense results in permanent disqualification from the program, along
with additional civil penalties.
To avoid a firearms issue at a security checkpoint, TSA
encourages airline passengers to visit the website and learn the proper packing
procedures before arriving at the airport.
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