This handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) on April 9. (TSA photo)
DETROIT – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted 13 firearms at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) during the first quarter of 2024, which ended March 31. This represents a decline over the same period in 2023, when 26 firearms were stopped at DTW.
Most recently, firearms were discovered in a passenger’s carry-on property during X-ray screening at a DTW checkpoint in separate incidents on April 4, April 9, and April 11. These three detections will be counted toward the agency’s second-quarter tally. In all firearm detections at DTW, the Wayne County Airport Police were alerted, responded to the checkpoint, and confiscated the weapon.
Nationwide, 1,503 firearms at airport were detected at security checkpoints during the first quarter of the year. This total represents an average of 16.5 firearms per day detected at TSA checkpoints, comparable to firearm detections during the same time period in 2023, when TSA officers intercepted 1,508 firearms at airport security checkpoints, an average of 16.8 firearm catches per day. During both time periods, more than 93% of firearms were loaded.
The number of airline passengers screened at TSA security checkpoints increased from the same time period in 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) screened more than 206 million passengers, compared to more than 191 million passengers in the first quarter of 2023, representing an increase of 7.8%. The rate of passengers with firearms during the most recent quarter was 7.3 firearms per one million passengers, which is a slight decrease from the same period in 2023, when the rate of discovery was 7.9 firearms per one million passengers.
“While it is certainly promising that the rate of passengers bringing firearms to the checkpoint has decreased, one firearm at the checkpoint is too many,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The demand for air travel is as strong as ever and security is always our number one priority. Every time we discover a firearm at the checkpoint, the security screening process is slowed down for all. Traveling with a firearm is allowed and it must be packed properly as checked baggage and declared to the airline at the ticket counter. We always recommend passengers start with a clean bag when they pack to ensure no firearms, weapons or other prohibited items are present.”
Passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be:
- Secured in the passenger’s checked baggage
- Packed unloaded
- Locked in a hard-sided case
- Declared to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter
Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport and in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction. TSA encourages airline passengers to #PreparePackDeclare.
TSA does not confiscate or seize firearms. If a passenger brings a firearm to the security checkpoint on their person or in their carry-on luggage, the officer will contact local law enforcement to safely unload and take possession of the firearm. Law enforcement may also arrest or cite the passenger, depending on local law. TSA may impose a civil penalty up to almost $15,000, and for the first offense, passengers who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck® eligibility for five years. Second offenses will result in permanent disqualification from the program and additional civil penalties.
Download the free MyTSA app, which has a useful “What can I bring?” feature that allows airline passengers to type in an item to find out if it can fly. Additionally, reach out to TSA on X (formerly known as Twitter) or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Airline passengers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872). Airline passengers may also reach the TSA Contact Center at 866-289-9673 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on weekends/holidays. An automated service is available 24/7.
For more information on how to properly travel with a firearm, visit: The transporting firearms and ammunition page on TSA.gov. You may also view the complete list of penalties on TSA.gov.