TSA agents stopped 96 guns at Detroit Metro Airport last year
(Photo: TSA)
ROMULUS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Transportation Security Administration agents stopped 96 guns at Detroit Metro Airport in 2023, a decrease from the year before.
That number is down from 100 guns found at checkpoints in 2022.
Nationwide, TSA agents stopped a total 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints, surpassing the previous year’s record of 6,542 firearms. About 93% of the guns found on passengers and in carry-on luggage were loaded, TSA said.
DTW didn't make the list of top 10 airports for gun interceptions this year. TSA screened more than 12.9 million departing passengers and crew from Detroit Metro in 2023.
"Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint presents an unnecessary risk to both passengers and airport employees," Michigan TSA Federal Security Director Reggie Stephens said. "We urge passengers to start with an empty bag, so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside."
Passengers can only travel with firearms in checked baggage. The guns must be unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case, and declared at the airline check-in counter.
When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA officers immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area.
TSA may impose civil penalties of up to $14,950 per violation per person. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, they will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges for at least five years.