This handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in October. (TSA photo)
DES MOINES – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped 16 firearms at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) security checkpoints in 2024, an all-time high for the airport and a sharp increase over the year prior.
Nationwide, TSA officers intercepted a total of 6,678 firearms, 18 firearms per day on average, at TSA checkpoints last year. Approximately 94% of these firearms were loaded. This total is down slightly from the agency’s record 6,737 firearms stopped in 2023.
Throughout 2024, TSA managed its “Prepare, Pack, Declare” public awareness campaign to explain the steps for safely traveling with a firearm. Firearms at TSA checkpoints represent an unnecessary risk and an expensive mistake for passengers who do not follow proper packing guidance for firearms in checked baggage.
“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that can be easily avoided,” Iowa TSA Federal Security Director John Bright said. “When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they are introducing a risk to everyone in the area. These incidents also slow down the checkpoint screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in that passenger screening lane comes to a complete halt until police arrive. Unloaded firearms can be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline."
In 2024, TSA screened more than 904 million individuals. The agency intercepted 7.4 firearms per million passengers, a drop from 7.8 per million passengers in 2023. Stated another way, TSA detected one firearm for every 135,383 travelers screened.
More than 1.7 million people were screened at DSM last year, a 4 percent increase over 2023. TSA officers at DSM discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 9.3 firearms per million passengers screened. This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 107,729 travelers screened.
Firearms caught by TSA at Iowa airport checkpoints, 2020 to 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Des Moines International Airport (DSM) | 16 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 7 |
| Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA officers immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the passenger. TSA does not confiscate firearms.
In addition to law enforcement action, TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint with a civil penalty up to about $15,000, revokes TSA PreCheck® eligibility for at least five years and may conduct enhanced screening to ensure there are no other threats present.
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.