The TSA intercepted more than 1,500 firearms at airports in the first three months of 2023

Transportation Security Administration officers intercepted 1,508 firearms in carry-on baggage at airport security checkpoints in the first three months of 2023, a 10.3% increase over the same period last year, the TSA said in a statement Thursday.

While security officials have seen an increase in the number of firearms seized, this is in part due to more Americans traveling by plane, with airlines recording a 20.4% increase in the number customers in the first quarter of 2023.

More than 93% of firearms intercepted so far have been loaded, up from just 86% in 2022, the TSA said.

Travelers who are caught with a firearm in their carry-on baggage may be subject to all applicable state and local laws.

Even if carrying a firearm is perfectly legal, the traveler will have their PreCheck eligibility suspended for five years, according to the statement.

They may also be subject to additional screening on future thefts and a maximum civil fine of $14,950.

It can also cause a huge headache for other travelers.

“It’s busy spring travel season and when someone shows up with a gun at the checkpoint, the conveyor belt is stopped until the police arrive and can remove the hand luggage from the machine X-ray to secure the weapon safely,” John Essig, director of federal security for the TSA at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, said a passenger was arrested with a weapon. fist this week.

A handgun that was detected by a TSA agent is shown at El Paso International Airport.CST

While many firearms intercepted are small pistols accidentally left in someone’s bag, travelers have been caught with larger, more powerful guns.

A New Orleans man was arrested at a Louisiana airport with a loaded Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR rifle and five additional loaded magazines in his carry-on in February.

More than 6,540 firearms were intercepted at security checkpoints in 2022, a record, according to the TSA.

Transportation Security Administration officers at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans stopped a passenger from taking him in his carry-on and immediately notified local airport police.CST

This is a relatively new problem, as only 1,913 firearms were detected ten years ago in 2013.

Travelers who wish to fly with a firearm can do so if they keep it in a locked hard-sided container in their checked baggage.

They must also declare it to the airline when checking in for their flight, the TSA said.

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