ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Transportation Security Administration discovered a total of six firearms at Lambert St. Louis International Airport (STL) security checkpoints in August.
Each of the firearms were discovered in passenger carry-on bags, and all six were loaded. In each incident, TSA notified local law enforcement, who removed the passenger and the firearms from the checkpoint area.
“Even with much lower than normal passenger numbers, we continue to find firearms at a very high rate at security checkpoints,” said Duane Huelsmann, TSA Acting Federal Security Director for Missouri. “Passengers must remember they’re responsible for the contents of bags and our advice is to thoroughly inspect all personal belongings to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items before coming to the airport.”
While firearms may be transported in checked baggage (provided they are declared to the airline, in a proper carrying case and unloaded), they are prohibited in carry-on bags.
Security is the first concern of the TSA, and having these items in bags that are traveling with you on the aircraft is dangerous to other travelers and can be easily mistaken as an intentional attempt to bring a prohibited item onto an aircraft.
TSA officers have detected 29 firearms at STL security checkpoints to date in 2020. A total of 57 were detected there last year.
In addition to potential criminal charges, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face stiff financial civil penalties from TSA: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/civil-enforcement
For more information about TSA prohibited items, please follow these links: