TSA details rising security checkpoint gun intercepts

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the agency is experiencing a nationwide trend regarding guns intercepted at airport security checkpoints.

“Each gun presents a danger,” TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said. “Any incident could have tragic results. This ominous trend continues across the country. Every passenger should know exactly where their gun is before they enter the airport and make sure that it is not in a backpack, purse, suitcase, or any carry-on that you plan to bring into the security checkpoint.”

The TSA cited that passengers across the state of Florida continue to bring a record number of guns to TSA security checkpoints. The year-to-date number of 581 intercepted is slated to surpass totals from previous years.

“Don’t let bringing a gun to a federal checkpoint be the reason you cannot answer ‘no’ to the question often asked on job applications: have you ever been arrested,” Koshetz said.

Passengers face a TSA civil penalty of as much as $13,910. It is imposed regardless of whether the individual is arrested by law enforcement partners.

Per the TSA, firearms must be in checked baggage, properly packed and declared to the airline at check-in, unloaded, and in a locked, hard-sided case.

The TSA indicated it is the passenger’s responsibility to know the gun laws on both sides of their trip because guns may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions.