The Transportation Safety Management (TSA) introduced that it discovered 6,737 firearms at airport safety checkpoints in 2023, beating a document that was once most effective set in 2022. Whilst it’s now not unlawful to fly with a firearm, there are strict tips that gun house owners will have to adhere to, and the TSA is begging other folks to practice them. It must even be famous that the TSA doesn’t confiscate firearms and without equal consequence will depend on how native regulation enforcement comes to a decision to take care of the placement.

Passengers who do get stuck with a gun aren’t utterly escaping punishment from federal government. They face a effective of as much as $15,000, are deemed ineligible for TSA PreCheck for no less than 5 years, and could also be topic to enhanced screening indefinitely. With safety officers discovering 18 firearms in step with day all through the fourth quarter of 2023, those penalties are handled on a widespread foundation.

The specter of firearms making it previous a checkpoint isn’t an idle one. The company additionally published that 93 p.c of the gun discovered have been loaded. TSA Administrator David Pekoske mentioned in a free up:

“We’re nonetheless seeing a ways too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s specifically regarding is the quantity of them loaded, presenting an useless possibility to everybody on the TSA checkpoint.”

Now not each and every gun dropped at a safety checkpoint is found out by way of the TSA. Washington State Senator Jeff Wilson was once ready to board a flight to Hong Kong from Portland Global Airport with a revolver in his carry-on baggage. He most effective discovered that he had his gun all through the flight whilst in search of chewing gum. Whilst Wilson was once simply careless, any person with malicious intent may have endangered everybody onboard.