By Steve Neavling
After the TSA seized a record number of firearms at airports in 2022, the number of guns intercepted at airport checkpoints increased more than 10% in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period last year, according to new data.
During the first quarter of this year, which ended on March 31, the TSA collected 1,508 guns, 93% of which were loaded.
The TSA is also experiencing an increase in passengers. During the first quarter of this year, the TSA screened more than 191 million passengers, compared to about 158 million in the first quarter of 2022, representing an increase of more than 20%.
“Firearms at TSA security checkpoints present an unacceptable safety and security risk to other passengers and I am deeply concerned that the majority of these firearms our TSOs catch are loaded,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “If you carry a firearm to the checkpoint, our TSOs will see it and there will be significant penalties, to include federal penalties and additional screening, which may prolong the security screening process. You may still travel with a firearm – it just must be properly packed in your checked baggage and you must declare it to the airline.”
In 2022, the TSA intercepted 6,542 guns, or roughly 18 per day. Of those, 88% were loaded.
Since 2008, the number of intercepted firearms increased each year, with the exception of 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the TSA seized 5,972 firearms.
By contrast, 926 guns were seized in 2008.
The record seizures come as more Americans are carrying firearms.
In the past, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said most of the offenders likely forgot they were in possession of a gun.
