The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that it has experienced increase in passenger volumes this summer, screening a record-breaking 3 million passengers on Sunday, July 7.
During the first half of 2024, TSA intercepted 3,269 firearms at airport security checkpoints. This period ended on June 30, with an average of 19 firearms detected per day at TSA checkpoints, and over 94% of them were loaded.
The quantity of firearms found during this time last year remains almost identical at 3,251, however, there has been an increase in the total number of passengers. TSA has examined approximately 7% more passengers in the initial half of 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023. In the second quarter of 2024, TSOs screened over 236 million passengers, a rise from the more than 221 million passengers screened in the second quarter of 2023.
During the first 8 days of July, marking the third quarter, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) across the country stopped 166 more firearms, making the total count up to 3,435 firearms as of July 8. The ratio of passengers carrying firearms in the latest quarter stood at 7.5 firearms per one million passengers, showing a slight drop from the corresponding period in 2023, where the discovery rate was 7.9 firearms per one million passengers.
“During a period of record-breaking travel volumes, our officers are working hard to keep our transportation systems secure and the traveling public safe, and 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 prepare 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 not allowed at security checkpoints, within the secure area of an airport, or in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, regardless of whether a passenger holds a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction. When traveling abroad, it is crucial for airline passengers to familiarize themselves with the laws of the foreign destination, as they may prohibit the transportation of firearms and entail severe criminal consequences.
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.
