The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) says safety officers at airport checkpoints intercepted a complete of 6,737 firearms in 2023, together with greater than 500 found at DFW and Love Discipline.
The variety of firearms noticed set a brand new annual document and surpassed the 2022 document complete of 6,542 firearms.
Two of the High 10 airports for firearm discoveries are Hartsfield-Jackson Worldwide Airport in Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Value Worldwide Airport, the highest two airports for passenger visitors in the US. ATL brokers found 451 in 2023 whereas DFW brokers discovered 378.
Dallas Love Discipline made the record, too, coming in at No. 10 with 125 weapons discovered.
Final 12 months the TSA screened greater than 858 million individuals, which works out to 7.8 firearms discovered per million passengers. Regardless of the rise in firearms discovered, the speed they had been discovered was a drop from the 8.6 discovered per million passengers in 2022.
What’s maybe most stunning is that the TSA stated 93% of the found firearms had been loaded.
“We’re nonetheless seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s significantly regarding is the quantity of them loaded, presenting an pointless threat to everybody on the TSA checkpoint,” stated TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are solely allowed to journey with an unloaded firearm, and provided that they pack it correctly in a locked, hard-sided case of their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline on the check-in counter.”
TOP 10 AIRPORTS FOR FIREARM DISCOVERIES (2023)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport
- Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport
- Nashville Worldwide Airport
- Denver Worldwide Airport
- Orlando Worldwide Airport
- Tampa Worldwide Airport
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport
- Dallas Love Discipline Airport
The TSA stated in an announcement Wednesday that when safety officers discover a firearm, they notify native police who take away the passenger and the weapon from the checkpoint space.
“Relying on native legal guidelines, the regulation enforcement officer might arrest or cite the passenger. TSA doesn’t confiscate firearms,” the TSA stated.
The TSA warned that along with any motion taken by native regulation enforcement, the TSA can advantageous passengers who deliver a firearm right into a TSA checkpoint with a civil penalty as much as roughly $15,000. Moreover, they will revoke TSA PreCheck eligibility for a minimum of 5 years and will conduct enhanced screening to make sure there aren’t any different threats current.
For extra data on easy methods to correctly journey with a firearm, go to the transporting firearms and ammunition web page on TSA.gov.
