The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has said more than 3,000 firearms have been confiscated so far in 2023, representing a rise in firearms being intercepted.
In a press release from the TSA, it was revealed that 3,251 firearms had been intercepted at security checkpoints in airports across the nation. Out of this total, an average of 18 firearms had been intercepted each day with 92% of firearms being loaded.
This number represents a 6% increase from the first half of 2022 which saw 3,053 firearms confiscated, 86% of which had been loaded, according to the press release.
“Anyone traveling with a firearm must follow the rules and pack it properly in checked baggage in addition to declaring it to the airline,” David Pekoske, a TSA administrator said in the press release.
NEWS: TSA stopped 3,251 firearms at airport checkpoints nationwide during the first half of 2023. The total represents an average 18 firearms per day at TSA checkpoints of which more than 92% were loaded.
— TSA (@TSA) July 10, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/mqFYp6Qrk8 pic.twitter.com/hZ5LUPYpIr
Pekoske thanked the Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) for their “dedication” and hard work in “ensuring these firearms” are not able to enter secure areas of the airports, as well as go onboard airplanes.
The TSA noted in its press release that passengers who wish to travel with a firearm should “ensure it is properly packed in checked baggage” and declare it at the airline’s ticket counter.
Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the TSA, pointed out in a Twitter post how 6,542 firearms had been confiscated at security checkpoints last year, adding that the TSA “is on pace to surpass” that number for this year.
BREAKING NEWS: @TSA caught a record number of guns at security checkpoints last year–6,542. This year the agency is on pace to surpass that number. Gun catches during the first half of 2023 represents a 6 percent increase from the same period in 2022. pic.twitter.com/dbr8jtCQ0r
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 10, 2023
Upon discovery of the firearms, TSOs contact local law enforcement to search the carry-on baggage and to “safely unload and take possession of the firearm,” according to the press release.
Passengers will also face a $14,950 fine, the elimination of TSA PreCheck eligibility for up to five years. Additionally, some passengers may face arrest or citation depending on “local laws” for guns.
Farbstein told IJR in a statement that as part of an effort to “remind people how to properly pack a firearm” TSA has signs posted throughout “airports and in checkpoint lines,” makes public announcements in the airports, and has a section on the TSA website which goes over what passengers can bring with them, among many other things.