(FeaturedHeadlines.com) – The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is tasked with keeping air travelers safe by screening passengers before they board planes. During such screenings, TSA has intercepted more than 3,400 firearms in 2024 as of this writing.
TSA said in a statement on July 9 that it found 3,435 guns at checkpoints so far in 2024, averaging 19 firearms per day. More than 94% of the firearms were loaded at the time of interception, TSA added.
Although the number of passengers screened by TSA increased by 7% during the first half of 2024, the number of firearms found per one million passengers decreased in the second quarter, when compared to the previous year. TSA found 7.5 firearms per one million passengers, down from 7.9 million during the same period last year.
The statement reminds air travelers that they are required to place firearms unloaded in a locked, hard-sided case in a checked bag, which must be declared with the airline at the ticket counter. Bringing a gun to the TSA checkpoint is costly and delays others, the statement said.
TSA does not confiscate firearms, but rather, contacts local law enforcement to take possession of guns. The TSA can impose a fine of nearly $15,000 and local law enforcement can arrest or cite passengers, depending on local law.
Such procedures are strictly enforced, even for lawmakers. Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz faces criminal charges for bringing a handgun to an airport.
Spartz claims that she accidentally brought an unloaded handgun to Dulles International Airport. Nevertheless, prosecutors charged her with carrying a weapon in an airport terminal—a misdemeanor charge that carries a sentence of up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The Second Amendment provides many protections to firearms owners in the United States, but airport authorities are still permitted to crack down on bringing guns on planes, even if you are a member of Congress.
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