TSA officers detected this .380 caliber firearm along with eight rounds in a man’s carry-on bag on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (TSA Photo)
CHARLOTTE – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a man from carrying a loaded firearm onto an airplane at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) on Tuesday, October 22. This was the 100th firearm detection by TSA officers this year at CLT.
During Tuesday morning security screening at checkpoint one, a TSA officer detected a firearm in a male passenger’s carry-on bag. TSA officers immediately alerted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) who confirmed there was a loaded .380 caliber firearm and a magazine containing a total of eight rounds in the man’s carry-on bag. After questioning, a CMPD trooper took possession of the firearm and cited the 64-year-old North Carolina man on a state charge.
“In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose, they can also slow down the screening process for all passengers when we’re forced to temporarily close down a lane as a result of the firearm detection,” said Beth Walker, TSA’s Federal Security Director at CLT.
TSA Security Checkpoint Firearm Detections at CLT as of October 23 each year (2021 - 2024):
| CODE | AIRPORT | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| CLT | Charlotte Douglas International | 100 | 96 | 96 | 82 |
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating circumstances.
This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
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.
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.