Transportation Security Administration officers intercepted a record number of firearms brought by passengers to airport security checkpoints in 2022, Axios reports. TSA has stopped 6,301 firearms so far this year, more than 88 percent of which were loaded. The previous record was 5,972 firearms detected in 2021. TSA believes it will intercept about 300 more firearms by the year's end, marking a nearly 10 percent increase over the previous year’s recordA. irplane travel is climbing toward pre-pandemic levels. More people went through TSA security checkpoints this year than in the last two years.
Firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags at any checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed weapon permit. TSA is increasing the maximum fine for a firearms violation to $14,950, up from $13,910. Depending on state or local law, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint may be arrested. "When a passenger brings a firearm to the checkpoint, this consumes significant security resources and poses a potential threat to transportation security, in addition to being very costly for the passenger," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.