Some colorful firearms caught this year from the upper left: pink and black from Washington Dulles International Airport; purple from Pittsburgh International Airport; teal from Richmond International Airport; and red from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (TSA photos)
The monthly calendar has flipped to October and the fall colors are everywhere you look—fall festivals, fall farmer’s markets and fall leaves on the trees. At Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, TSA officers see colors all year long. Unfortunately, those are too often the colors of firearms.
Of course, nobody is permitted to carry a firearm through a security checkpoint, regardless of what color it is, yet TSA officers continue to detect them. Most of the firearms that TSA officers intercept at security checkpoints are black, but sometimes travelers are toting much more colorful weapons.
TSA officers intercepted 5,028 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first nine months of 2024. This total represents an average of 18.3 firearms detected per day at TSA checkpoints, more than 93% of which were loaded. Many of them are colorful, although most of them are black.
“When TSA officers detect a firearm among a traveler’s carry-on items via the X-ray unit, the conveyor belt comes to a stop and law enforcement officers are contacted. Police then remove the firearm from the X-ray machine because we do not want our officers handling firearms as that is an accident waiting to happen,” says Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Central Virginia.
“Meanwhile, the checkpoint lane has come to a temporary stand-still until the situation is resolved, thus slowing down other passengers from reaching their gates,” says Scott T. Johnson, TSA Federal Security Director for Washington Dulles International Airport.
Law enforcement officials decide whether to issue a criminal citation or arrest the traveler. TSA officials also have the right to issue a civil financial penalty that typically runs into the thousands of dollars for that individual.
“Travelers may travel with their firearms if they pack them properly. They should be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and then taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared,” says John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. “At that point, the airline will ensure that the firearm is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it during a flight.”
TSA has details on how to travel with a firearm and ammunition posted on its web site.
“Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws,” says Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.”
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to individuals who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to individuals with or without concealed gun carry permits because a concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried through a checkpoint. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
“The most common excuse that we hear from travelers is that they forgot that they had their gun with them,” says John C. Allen, TSA Federal Security Director for West Virginia. “If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times. That’s an important part of being a responsible gun owner.”
“A gun is a deadly weapon, regardless of its color,” says Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Philadelphia International Airport. “Just because it might be teal or red doesn’t make it any less dangerous. It’s still prohibited in purple or pink.”
“We encourage passengers to ‘know before you go,’ which means that they need to know the contents of their carry-on bags before they head to the airport to ensure that there is nothing illegal or prohibited inside,” says Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “It’s always a good idea to start with an empty bag when packing so that you know everything you are placing inside. Travelers are responsible for the contents of their luggage, backpacks, handbags, messenger bags, duffle bags and anything else they are carrying.”
Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers also may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).
“Our officers work hard every single day to ensure that travelers can get to their destinations safely and get home safely,” says Christopher Murgia, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Maryland. “They do a good job and should be commended for it.”