As air travel soared, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted 5,028 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first nine months of 2024. This total represents an average of 18.3 firearms detected per day at TSA checkpoints, more than 93% of which were loaded.
Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) screened more than 678 million passengers through the first three quarters of 2024, which comprised record-setting summer travel volumes, compared to more than 638 million passengers in the same period of 2023, an increase of nearly 6.3%.
The rate of firearm discoveries at TSA checkpoints during the most recent quarter (July-September) was 7.5 firearms per 1 million passengers, which is a decrease from the same period in 2023 when officers discovered 8.1 firearms per 1 million passengers.
Notably, the TSA caught a record number of firearms (6,737) at airports in 2023.
“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.”
The TSA encourages airline passengers to #PreparePackDeclare their firearms and learn the proper procedures before arriving at the airport. Passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be:
- Secured in the passenger’s checked baggage;
- Packed unloaded;
- Locked in a hard-sided case; and
- Declared to the airline when checking the bag at the airline ticket counter.
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 must be aware of the foreign destination’s laws, which may prohibit travel with firearms and carry significant criminal penalties.
As a reminder, the 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, the officer will contact local law enforcement to safely unload and take possession of the firearm. Law enforcement may also arrest or cite the passenger, depending on local law. The TSA may impose a civil penalty up to almost $15,000, and for the first offense, passengers who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck eligibility for five years.