This handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Chicago Midway International Airport (CMH) on Oct. 27. (TSA photo)
CHICAGO —Transportation Security Administration officers at Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) discovered a firearm in a passenger’s carry-on bag Friday morning, bringing the total detected at the airport to 43 this year.
The previous annual record was 42 firearms, set in 2021. Last year, 38 firearms were detected at MDW checkpoints.
After a TSA officer detected the image of a firearm on the X-ray screen, Chicago police were alerted, responded to the checkpoint, and confiscated the weapon.
“It’s troubling that we’ve set an all-time record for firearms stopped at the checkpoint with two months still left in the year,” Illinois TSA Federal Security Director Dereck Starks said. “In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose, they also slow down the screening process for all passengers when we’re forced to temporarily close down a lane. I urge passengers to think twice before they leave the house about what they’re bringing in their carry-on bags.”
TSA recently announced that during the first three quarters of 2023, officers intercepted 5,072 firearms at airport security checkpoints, and at the current rate, the agency will surpass last year’s record 6,542 firearms prevented from getting onboard aircraft.
Officers have detected 59 firearms at Chicago O’Hare International Airport so far this year, and the airport is on pace to end the year below its 2022 annual total of 85 firearms stopped. However, October was an above-average month, with 11 firearms detected at ORD checkpoints, most recently on Saturday.
The penalty amount for a firearm violation, which TSA determines based on the circumstances in each case, can reach as high as $14,950. TSA will continue to revoke TSA PreCheck® eligibility for at least five years for passengers caught with a firearm in their possession.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.