The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has reported a significant increase in firearm detections at airport security checkpoints during the first half of 2024, driven by record-breaking travel volumes.
According to TSA, a total of 3,269 firearms were intercepted from January to June, averaging 19 firearms detected per day. Notably, more than 94% of these firearms were loaded.
While the number of firearms discovered during this period last year was nearly the same at 3,251, the overall number of passengers screened by TSA increased by nearly 7% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
During the second quarter of 2024 alone, TSA officers screened over 236 million passengers, up from 221 million in the second quarter of 2023.
In the first eight days of July, which marks the beginning of the third quarter, TSA intercepted an additional 166 firearms, bringing the total to 3,435 firearms detected by July 8. The rate of passengers carrying firearms during the most recent quarter was 7.5 firearms per one million passengers, a slight decrease from 7.9 firearms per one million passengers in the same period in 2023.
“During a period of record-breaking travel volumes, our officers are working hard to keep our transportation systems secure and the traveling public safe. Any time they detect a firearm, there is a real safety concern for frontline employees and travelers,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
“If you carry a firearm, you are required to place it unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case in your checked bag and declare it to the airline when checking in at the airline ticket counter. Do not bring it to the checkpoint. It is costly and delays you and everyone else traveling in the same lane with you.”
TSA encourages airline passengers to #PreparePackDeclare and learn the proper packing 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
- 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, 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. 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.
