They did it again: TSA breaks record for number of firearms found at US security checkpoints

The year is not quite over yet, but as of Friday, the Transportation Security Administration announced that it has already found more firearms at airport security checkpoints than in any other year.

As of Dec. 16, TSA officers have intercepted a record 6,301 firearms brought to airport checkpoints by passengers. Of those 6,301 firearms, 88% were loaded.

This year’s number of firearms "finds" already surpasses the previous record of 5,972 firearms detected in 2021. With the busy holiday travel period now underway, the TSA anticipates that by the end of 2022 it will have discovered about 6,600 prohibited firearms in carry-on baggage at airport checkpoints. That’s nearly a 10% increase over 2021’s record-setting level.

As you can see from the chart below, the number of firearms found at airport checkpoints has been steadily increasing every year since 2010, with just a slight dip in 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic when passenger numbers dipped considerably.

As TSA officials keep reminding travelers, while firearm possession laws vary by state and local government, firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags at any TSA security checkpoint — even if a passenger has a concealed weapon permit.

Related: What happens if a gun goes off on a plane?

Getting caught with a firearm not only slows down the security operations at the checkpoint, but it also now comes with a maximum civil fine of up to $14,950 (for repeat offenders; up from $13,910) and the loss of TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years. The definition of a firearm has been revised as well: TSA now considers frames, receivers and 3D-printed guns to be firearms under its civil enforcement program. Depending on state or local law in the airport’s location, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint may be arrested by law enforcement.

“Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags at the checkpoint and onboard aircraft,” TSA administrator David Pekoske said in a statement announcing this year’s record-setting number of firearms found at airport checkpoints. “When a passenger brings a firearm in their carry-on bag, this consumes significant security resources and poses a potential threat to transportation security, in addition to being very costly for the passenger.”

According to TSA officials, most passengers caught with firearms at security checkpoints say they “forgot” they had their loaded gun with them. This is exactly what a passenger at Dulles International Airport (IAD) said when agents found a loaded handgun in their carry-on.

Others — like the passenger who stuffed a firearm inside a raw turkey to transport it through airport security at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in early November — go to extreme lengths to conceal the weapons they try to take on board airplanes.

It is possible to fly with a firearm. However, the TSA reminds passengers they may only transport firearms in checked baggage, must follow proper packing guidance for firearms in checked baggage and must declare the firearms to their airline at check-in. There may also be additional rules and requirements added by airlines.