TSA reveals huge total of guns intercepted at US airports last year – and 94% were loaded

The US Transport Security Administration (TSA) revealed that it had intercepted a total of 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints last year – with almost all of them being loaded at the time of discovery.

This statistic was released by TSA on Wednesday, with the agency reporting that staff had prevented the firearms from getting into secure areas of the airport and onboard aircraft.

The total is only a slight decrease from the number intercepted in 2023, which stood at 6,737 firearms discovered at airport security checkpoints. In 2022, this number was at 6,542.

Approximately 94 per cent of the firearms found throughout 2024 were loaded.

TSA said it screened more than 904 million people last year, meaning that the agency intercepted 7.4 firearms per million people.

While the number has decreased from 2023, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said that “one firearm at a checkpoint is too many”.

“Firearms present a safety risk for our employees and everyone else at the checkpoint. It’s also costly and slows down operations.

“If individuals who carry a firearm intend to travel, we remind them that the firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline at the check-in counter and transported in checked baggage,” he added.

Among the airports with the highest volume of firearms intercepted is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, which found 440 firearms in carry-on bags. Hartsfield-Jackson was also the top airport in 2023, with 11 more discovered than in 2024.

Just below Hartsfield-Jackson on the 2024 list is Texas’ Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with 390 firearms (12 more than 2023), followed by another Texan airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with 272 firearms (a decrease of 39).

Finishing off the top five are Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with 247 firearms discovered (up from 235) and Nashville International Airport with 188 (no change from 2023).

In total, there were 277 airports across the US where firearms were found at security checkpoints last year.

When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, a transportation security officer will immediately contact local law enforcement, who will remove the person and the firearm from the area.

While local laws vary, the police may arrest or cite the person who brought the firearm.

Individuals who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint face a maximum civil penalty of $14,950 (£12,268) and will have their TSA PreCheck eligibility revoked for at least five years. PreCheck allows passengers to accelerate quicker through the security screening process with no need to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts or light jackets.

The person will also be subject to enhanced screening to ensure there are no other threats present, which TSA says takes up additional time.

TSA’s 2024 gun report comes a month after the agency made a surprising discovery while checking a suspicious bag at Los Angeles International Airport.

A woman travelling from Los Angeles to Philadelphia in December reportedly had 82 consumer-grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray in her carry-on bag, which were all discovered as the bag went through the X-ray machine.

The TSA officer then notified police who responded to the security checkpoint and interviewed the passenger. A bomb squad also responded and confiscated the fireworks.

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