TSA announced 94 guns caught at Metro Airport in 2021 - up double from 2020
TSA agents found this gun in a carry-on bag at Metro Airport in 2021. / Photo courtesy: TSA
FOX 2 - On Wednesday Transportation Security Administration officers announced they stopped 94 handguns at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport security checkpoints in 2021 - a big uptick from the 44 detected in 2020 and 47 in 2019.
Nationwide, TSA officers stopped 5,972 firearms at airport checkpoints, surpassing the previous record of 4,432 firearms caught at checkpoints in 2019. The figure equals a rate of 10.2 per million passengers, nearly exceeding all previous rates.
The majority of those firearms (86%) were loaded. Firearms at TSA checkpoints represent an unnecessary risk and an expensive mistake for passengers who do not follow proper packing guidance for firearms in checked baggage.
"While our passenger volumes have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, we are seeing even higher numbers of firearms, most of them loaded," Detroit TSA Federal Security Director Steve Lorincz said. "Passengers are strictly prohibited from bringing firearms on board planes, and our TSA officers are laser-focused on security and preventing weapons from getting through our checkpoints."
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) led the nation in firearms caught by TSA in 2021 with 507.
In second place was Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with 317 and third, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport with 245.
TSA may impose civil penalties of up to $13,910 per violation per person. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. The complete list of civil penalties is on the TSA website. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges for a period of time.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.