Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) discovered three loaded handguns this week as passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Richmond International Airport (RIC), and Huntington Tri-State Airport (HTS) all attempted to bring the firearms through security.
Guns are not permitted through security checkpoints and passengers face financial civil penalties from TSA if they attempt to bring them. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000. The TSA does not confiscate firearms found at checkpoints. Law enforcement is called to handle this and issue citations.
The first incident involved a woman from Maryland at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). A 9mm firearm with six bullets, including one in the chamber was found in her bags. The Washington Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police responded to the incident, confiscated the firearm, and issued her a criminal citation.
John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said: It is troubling to see travelers continue to bring their firearms to our checkpoints instead of properly packing them for a flight. A loaded, unsecured firearm, with an unwitting owner, is just a tragedy waiting to happen. Nearly all the travelers we encounter with a firearm say, ‘I forgot it was there…’ That is very concerning. If you want to travel with your firearm, all that we ask is that you pack it the right way. It is a fairly simple process. For starters, it needs to be unloaded. Pack the unloaded gun in a hard-sided locked case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter and declare that you want to fly with it. The airline will make sure it is transported to your destination in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It really is that easy.”
A Virginia man was cited at Richmond International Airport (RIC) for also having a 9mm firearm loaded with 12 bullets in his carry-on bag. The X-ray spotted the gun in the carry-on bag. The firearm was confiscated by the Richmond Airport Police and the man was cited on a weapons charge.
Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said:
When our officers detect a firearm at the checkpoint, the checkpoint lane comes to a halt until police come and remove the carry-on bag with the gun. This is done because we do not want our officers to handle firearms as that is an accident waiting to happen. As a result, all the travelers in that checkpoint lane either shift to another lane or wait for the police to resolve the situation. Either way it inconveniences other travelers and on a busy day at our airport, I can assure you that any delay is not appreciated by fellow travelers.”
A third incident involved a Kentucky man at Huntington Tri-State Airport (HTS). This was yet another 9mm firearm and it was found with six bullets including one in the chamber. TSA officers stopped the screening process and called the police. They responded to the checkpoint and took possession of the firearm. The man was cited, but he was permitted give the firearm to a non-traveling companion.
John C. Allen TSA’s Federal Security Director for West Virginia, said:
It is disappointing to see travelers continue to bring their firearms to our checkpoints instead of properly packing them for a flight. If you want to travel with your firearm, all that we ask is that you pack it the right way for a flight. It is a fairly simple process. For starters, it needs to be unloaded. Pack the unloaded gun in a hard-sided locked case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter and declare that you want to fly with it. The airline will make sure it is transported to your destination in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It really is that easy.”
As I wrote about earlier this year, the TSA found a total of 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023 (around 93% were loaded). This represents the highest total in the agency’s history and averages at 18 per day. Firearms were found in 265 airports and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) had the highest total. More than 858 million passengers were screened last year, which means the agency intercepted 7.8 firearms per million passengers. This represents a drop from the 8.6 per million passengers seen in 2022.
Anthony’s Take: Leave the guns at home or properly check them into your checked bags (following TSA protocols). Kudos to the TSA for finding all of these firearms (some naysayers might wonder how many slipped through, but it’s good knowing this many were found).
(Image Credits: Jay Rembert and TSA.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
3 comments
“This is done because we do not want our officers to handle firearms as that is an accident waiting to happen.”
I mean, he’s not wrong, but what a weird thing to say about a bunch of security professionals. Especially after saying the Police *are* capable of safely handling firearms.
The context is saying TSA officers must wait until police come to handle it. In other words, TSA officers do not handle the firearms, the police do.
Until the penalties are sufficiently harsh, people will continue to try to bring guns on planes. Thanks for continuing to highlight this problem.