The Transportation Security Administration says agents found fewer guns at airport checkpoints in the first three months of 2024 than in the same period last year, but they are still finding them every day. TSA says agents across America found 1,503 guns at checkpoints through the end of March, down from 1,508 in the same period last year.
Agents are also screening more people. In the first quarter of 2024, they screened 206 million passengers, up from 191 million in the first quarter of 2023, so the rate of guns found dropped from 7.9 per million passengers to 7.3.
"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,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske wrote in a statement. “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.”
TSA's numbers for the first quarter are not broken down by the airport, but for all of 2023, agents in Texas found some of the largest numbers of guns.
The most guns in 2023 were found in Atlanta with 451. Hartsfield Airport is the world's busiest. DFW Airport ranked second with 378 guns found; DFW is the world's second busiest airport. Bush Intercontinental in Houston ranked third with 311 guns found.
TSA agents at Dallas Love Field found the 10th most guns with 125.
TSA urges people who may fly with a gun to learn the rules before leaving for the airport. Guns 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 ticket counter
People can learn more about the rules for flying with guns at the TSA website.
Passengers can also download the "MyTSA" app or visit this TSA page to search a list of items that are allowed or restricted in carry-on bags or checked luggage.
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