Transportation Security Administration intercepted 1,503 guns at airport security checkpoints during the first quarter of 2024, which ended March 31, according to a TSA report.
The total represents an average of 16.5 firearms per day detected at TSA checkpoints, compared to the same period in 2023, when TSA officers intercepted 1,508 firearms at airport security checkpoints, an average of 16.8 catches per day.
During both periods, more than 93% of firearms were loaded, TSA says.
The number of airline passengers screened increased from the same period in 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, officers screened more than 206 million passengers, compared to more than 191 million passengers in the first quarter of 2023. The rate of passengers with guns during the most recent quarter was 7.3 firearms per one million passengers, which is a slight decrease from the same period in 2023, when the rate was 7.9 firearms per one million passengers.
“While it is certainly promising that the rate of passengers bringing firearms to the checkpoint has decreased, one firearm at the checkpoint is too many,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The demand for air travel is as strong as ever and security is always our number one priority. Every time we discover a firearm at the checkpoint, the security screening process is slowed down for all. Traveling with a firearm is allowed and it must be packed properly as checked baggage and declared to the airline at the ticket counter. We always recommend passengers start with a clean bag when they pack to ensure no firearms, weapons or other prohibited items are present.”
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 ticket counter.
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