The Transportation Security Administration says it found a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023. A total of 6,737 were intercepted — or an average of 18 firearms per day — 93% of which which were loaded, the agency says.
The number surpassed 2022’s record of 6,542 firearms found.
“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement Wednesday.
Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage as long as they are unloaded and transported in a locked hard-sided container. TSA says passengers must declare their firearm and ammunition to the airline when checking their bags at the ticket counter.
Not surprisingly, the nation’s two busiest airports topped were also the ones where the most guns were found: Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson International, with 451, and Dallas Fort Worth International, with 378.
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