The Transportation Safety Administration mentioned it has stopped greater than 3,400 weapons at airport safety checkpoints up to now this yr, and many of the firearms have been loaded.
The company additionally mentioned it screened extra passengers this summer season, together with a record-breaking three million passengers this previous Sunday.
A complete of three,269 firearms have been intercepted at safety checkpoints through the first half of 2024, which ended on June 30, the TSA mentioned, including that 94% of these weapons have been loaded.
The variety of firearms stopped throughout this era was just like the entire at the moment final yr – which was 3,251 – however the variety of passengers this yr has elevated.
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The Transportation Safety Administration introduced that it has stopped greater than 3,400 weapons at airport safety checkpoints up to now this yr, and many of the firearms have been loaded. (Joe Raedle/Getty Photographs)
Officers screened practically 7% extra passengers through the first half of 2024 than throughout the identical time span final yr, the TSA mentioned. Through the second quarter of 2024, greater than 236 million passengers have been screened, outpacing the greater than 221 million passengers screened within the second quarter of final yr.
Thus far in 2024, TSA officers have detected a median of 19 firearms per day.
Within the first eight days of July, that are included within the third quarter of 2024, officers throughout the U.S. intercepted one other 166 firearms, totaling 3,435 firearms stopped by officers as of Monday.
The company mentioned 7.5 firearms per a million passengers have been discovered at safety checkpoints through the second quarter of 2024, which is a slight dip from the identical interval final yr when the speed of discovery was 7.9 firearms per a million passengers.
“Throughout a interval of record-breaking journey volumes, our officers are working laborious to maintain our transportation programs safe and the touring public secure, and any time they detect a firearm, there’s a actual security concern for frontline staff and vacationers,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske mentioned in a press release.
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A complete of three,435 firearms have been stopped by the TSA up to now this yr as of Monday. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photographs)
“When you carry a firearm, you’re required to put it unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case in your checked bag and declare it to the airline when checking in on the airline ticket counter,” he continued. “Don’t deliver it to the checkpoint. It’s pricey and delays you and everybody else touring in the identical lane with you.”
The TSA mentioned passengers are allowed to journey with a firearm, but it surely have to be secured in checked baggage, unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case. The passenger should additionally notify the airline when checking the bag on the airline ticket counter.
Firearms are prohibited at safety checkpoints, within the safe space of an airport and within the cabin of an airplane, no matter whether or not a passenger has a hid carry allow or is in an space that permits constitutional carry.
TSA officers have detected a median of 19 firearms per day up to now in 2024. (Reuters)
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The company urged passengers touring internationally to concentrate on their vacation spot’s gun legal guidelines, because the area could prohibit touring with firearms and will impose felony penalties.
The TSA famous that it doesn’t confiscate firearms. If a passenger brings a firearm to the safety checkpoint, both on their particular person or of their carry-on baggage, an officer will contact police to unload the weapon and take possession of it.
Police can also arrest or cite the passenger, and the TSA could wonderful passengers as much as practically $15,000 for bringing a gun to a safety checkpoint.