The number of firearms seized at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2023 reached the highest single-year total in Transportation Security Administration (TSA) history, the agency announced Wednesday.
During the year, TSA stopped 6,737 firearms from entering secure airport areas and aircraft, the agency announced. About 93% of the firearms stopped, or 6,265, were loaded.
This total is up from the 6,542 firearms stopped at checkpoints in 2022, a record total at the time.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, “There are still far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and of particular concern are their loaded capacities, which pose an unnecessary risk to everyone at TSA checkpoints.'' ”
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The loaded handgun pictured above was discovered by TSA officers at Albany International Airport in August 2023. (TSA)
Pekoske warned travelers that firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on luggage. Firearms must be unloaded, properly packed in a locked hard case, placed in checked baggage, and declared to the airline at the check-in counter.
The loaded handgun pictured above was discovered by TSA officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on December 24th. (TSA)
Passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint are subject to civil penalties of up to $15,000 to local law enforcement.
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The latest intercept occurred Wednesday at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in Horseheads, New York, where TSA officers discovered a loaded firearm in a backpack during an X-ray search, the agency said.
On January 10, a loaded handgun was discovered by TSA agents in a traveler's backpack at Elmira Corning Regional Airport in Horseheads, New York (pictured above). (TSA)
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The agency said the male tourist told police he was a firearms instructor and had forgotten he was carrying a loaded gun. Because the man had a valid New York state handgun permit, police allowed him to return his gun to his home, authorities said.
