CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The Transportation Security Administration said more travelers were found with guns at Midway Airport last year while O'Hare saw fewer
Screeners found 72 guns last year at O’Hare checkpoints, down from the 85 that were recovered in 2022 and the 91 guns discovered in 2021.
The number found at Midway is a new high, according to the TSA. Fifty guns were discovered in 2023. That compares to 38 in 2022 and 42 in 2021. The agency reported that more than 90% of the firearms were loaded.
Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint,” Acting Illinois TSA Federal Security Director Brian Moses said. “We urge passengers to start with an empty bag so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that passengers can easily avoid.”
Travelers caught with a firearm at a checkpoint can be fined up to $15,000.
The TSA does not seize firearms. They get local police involved.
Firearms have to be in checked luggage and have to be declared.
Here is a breakdown, provided by the TSA, of the number of guns that have been recovered at Illinois airport checkpoints since 2019.
O'Hare:
2023:72
2022: 85
2021: 91
2020: 33
2019: 50
Midway:
2023: 50
2022: 38
2021: 42
2020: 22
2019: 33
Chicago Rockford International Airport:
2023: 3
2022: 3
2021: 1
2020: 0
2019: 0
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