TSA ID checkpoint

TSA Breaks Record For Highest Number of Firearms Detected at Airport Checkpoints

In 2019, TSA officers detected 4,432 firearms in carry-on baggage or on passengers, breaking the record set in 2018.

TSA officers discovered a record number of firearms at checkpoints nationwide in 2019, the agency announced last month. Overall, 4,432 firearms were detected in carry-on bags or on passengers, averaging about 12.1 firearms per day, according to the agency’s report.

The number of firearms amounted to an approximately 5 percent increase over 2018, when 4,239 firearms were detected. Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and potential civil penalties from the TSA.

“The continued increase in the number of firearms that travelers bring to airport checkpoints is deeply troubling,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “There is a proper way to travel safely with a firearm.”

Passengers must pack their unloaded firearm in a hard-sided locked case in checked baggage and take it to the airline check-in counter to declare it, according to Pekoske.

The top five airports for firearms detection were Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (323); Dallas Fort Worth International (217); Denver International (140); George Bush Intercontinental in Houston (138); and Phoenix Sky Harbor International (132).

Last year, a Bloomberg News analysis found that the number of guns confiscated by agents increased by 92 percent between 2014 and 2018. In addition, the 10 major airports with the highest gun seizure rates per passenger screened were in states with concealed carry lars or where state officials are required to issue permits to all law-abiding residents.

“Assuming that all those people who are caught with a firearm aren’t terrorists, that’s a huge distraction from the mission of TSA to keep terrorists off planes,” John Pistole, a former TSA administrator and current president of Anderson University in Indiana, told Bloomberg.

The report found that 87 percent of the firearms detected on travelers or their carry-on luggage were loaded. Firearms were discovered in 278 airports across the country.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Progressing in Capabilities

    Progressing in Capabilities

    Hazardous areas within industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, agriculture and the like, have long-sought reliable video surveillance cameras and equipment that can operate safely in these harsh and unpredictable environments. Read Now

  • A Comprehensive Nationwide Solution

    A Comprehensive Nationwide Solution

    Across the United States, manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, truck yards, parking lots and car dealerships all have a common concern. They are targets for catalytic converters. In nearly every region, cases of catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed. Read Now

  • Planning for Your Perimeter

    Planning for Your Perimeter

    The perimeter is an organization’s first line of defense and a critical element of any security and surveillance program. Even if a building’s interior or exterior security is strong, without a solid perimeter surveillance approach any company or business is vulnerable. Read Now

  • The Key Issue

    The Key Issue

    It is February 2014. A woman is getting ready in her room on a cruise ship when she hears a knock on the door; it is a crewmember delivering breakfast. She is not presentable so she tells him to leave it by the door. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • VideoEdge 2U High Capacity Network Video Recorder

    VideoEdge 2U High Capacity Network Video Recorder

    Johnson Controls announces a powerful recording solution to meet demanding requirements with its VideoEdge 2U High Capacity Network Video Recorder. This solution combines the powerful capabilities of victor with the intelligence of VideoEdge NVRs, fueled by Tyco Artificial Intelligence, for video management that provides actionable insights to save time, money and lives. 3

  • CyberAudit Introduced to Manage Systems, Intuitive Interface

    CyberAudit Web

    CyberLock, Inc. announces the release of CyberAudit Web 9.4! CyberAudit-Web (CAW), the software suite for managing CyberLock systems, provides an intuitive interface to assign keys, set expirations, monitor staff and configure access schedules. 3

  • HID Signo Readers

    HID Signo Readers

    HID Global has announced its HID® Signo™ Biometric Reader 25B that is designed to capture and read fingerprints in real-world applications and conditions. 3