The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) introduced that it discovered 6,737 firearms at airport safety checkpoints in 2023, beating a document that was solely set in 2022. Whereas it’s not unlawful to fly with a firearm, there are strict tips that gun house owners should adhere to, and the TSA is begging individuals to comply with them. It must also be famous that the TSA doesn’t confiscate firearms and the last word end result will depend on how native legislation enforcement decides to deal with the state of affairs.
Passengers who do get caught with a gun aren’t fully escaping punishment from federal authorities. They face a tremendous of as much as $15,000, are deemed ineligible for TSA PreCheck for not less than 5 years, and could also be topic to enhanced screening indefinitely. With safety officers discovering 18 firearms per day throughout the fourth quarter of 2023, these penalties are handled on a frequent foundation.
The specter of firearms making it previous a checkpoint isn’t an idle one. The company additionally revealed that 93 p.c of the gun discovered had been loaded. TSA Administrator David Pekoske mentioned in a launch:
“We’re nonetheless seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s notably regarding is the quantity of them loaded, presenting an pointless threat to everybody on the TSA checkpoint.”
Not each gun dropped at a safety checkpoint is found by the TSA. Washington State Senator Jeff Wilson was in a position to board a flight to Hong Kong from Portland Worldwide Airport with a revolver in his carry-on baggage. He solely realized that he had his gun throughout the flight whereas on the lookout for chewing gum. Whereas Wilson was simply careless, somebody with malicious intent may have endangered everybody onboard.