The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced its security checkpoint firearm statistics for 2024. For the first time since 2020, we’ve actually seen a (mild) decrease in the number of firearms stopped at checkpoints.
18+ guns stopped at TSA checkpoints daily, most loaded
Now that it’s 2025, the TSA has revealed data about the number of firearms that were stopped at security checkpoints in 2024. Over the course of the year, the TSA stopped 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints, and 94% of those weapons were loaded. An average of 18.2 firearms were intercepted per day. With 904 million passengers having been screened, that means 7.4 firearms were stopped per million passengers.
As a point of comparison, in 2023, the TSA stopped 6,737 firearms at airport checkpoints, with 93% being loaded. An average of 18.4 firearms were intercepted per day. With 858 million passengers having been screened, that means 7.8 firearms were stopped per million passengers.
As you can see, we’ve actually seen a mild decrease in firearms being stopped year-over-year, which is good news (well, assuming that the TSA’s success with stopping firearms didn’t get worse).
Of the top 10 airports for firearm discoveries, four were in Texas and two were in Florida, which I think will surprise no one. The other airports were in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Tennessee.
What happens if the TSA catches with you a gun?
So, what happens if you’re caught with a firearm at a TSA checkpoint? The TSA makes three specific threats:
- You could receive a civil penalty of up to $15,000
- You could have your TSA PreCheck revoked for at least five years
- The TSA may perform enhanced screening on you in the future (in other words, you get “SSSS” on your boarding pass)
On top of that, depending on state or local laws in an airport’s location, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint may be arrested by law enforcement. However, that seems to happen very rarely. Furthermore, it’s my understanding that very few people receive a civil penalty anywhere close to $15,000.
I’ll never be able to wrap my head around this
If over 18 guns are stopped at TSA checkpoints every day, one has to wonder how many aren’t stopped. Historically the TSA has missed 90%+ of weapons when tests were conducted. Has the TSA improved considerably, or are dozens of loaded firearms getting through security checkpoints daily?
Next, I just don’t get how careless people are with bringing guns to the airport. I’m not a gun owner, but if I’m understanding the argument for guns correctly, it’s about self defense and being responsible. If that’s the case, shouldn’t you always remember you have it on you, and take extreme precautions?
It just seems like someone who shows up at an airport and forgot they had a loaded gun isn’t exactly the most responsible person, and probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun (then again, that opens up a whole different can of worms).
Did most of the people getting caught just totally forget that they had a gun? Did they not realize they couldn’t take it on a plane? Did they want to see if they could get away with it? Did they want to save on checked bag fees?
It seems like the punishment is pretty minimal here. For that matter, in early 2021, a US representative tried to board a flight with a loaded gun. Not only was he not charged with any crime, but the gun was even secured at the airport so he could retrieve it upon his return, so that he wouldn’t miss his flight.
I don’t want to be grim, but is it going to take a mass shooting on a plane or past a security checkpoint for stricter punishments to be put into place, to deter people from accidentally bringing guns to the airport?
I have to assume that there’s not another country in the world where nearly 20 people per day show up at security checkpoints with loaded firearms, and they just act as if that’s normal.
Bottom line
The TSA has released data for 2024 regarding firearms at security checkpoints. Over the course of the year, 6,678 firearms were stopped at airports, and 94% of those were loaded. So yeah, over 18 people per day are being stopped at checkpoints with firearms. On the plus side, at least this represents a slight reduction in the number of firearms stopped, compared to the previous year.
What do you make of this data on firearms being stopped at TSA checkpoints?
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