According to the latest data released by the Transportation Security Administration, over 1,500 firearms were confiscated at airport security checkpoints across the country during the first quarter of 2024.
During the first three months of the year, an average of 16.5 firearms were discovered per day, a slightly lower figure compared to last year's first-quarter average of 16.8 firearms per day. This decrease is particularly noteworthy considering there was an almost 8% increase in the number of flyers.
It is worth noting that despite this small decline, the trend of finding firearms has been on the rise in recent years. In 2023, the TSA set a new record by detecting 6,737 guns at airport checkpoints, surpassing the previous year's record of 6,542 guns, marking the highest annual total since the agency's establishment after the 9/11 attacks.
Comparing this year's first quarter to the previous year, the rate of interceptions per million passengers also showed a slight decrease, dropping from 7.9 to 7.3. Over 206 million passengers underwent screening in the first quarter of 2024, in contrast to the more than 191 million passengers screened in the same period in 2023.
It was reported that over 93% of the firearms discovered in both the first quarters of 2024 and 2023 were loaded.
"In a positive development, the number of passengers attempting to bring firearms to the checkpoint has decreased, but even one firearm at the checkpoint is a cause for concern," stated TSA Administrator David Pekoske in a recent announcement. "The discovery of a firearm not only disrupts the security screening process but also impacts all travelers."
Pekoske emphasized that it is legal to travel with a licensed firearm as long as it is properly packed according to TSA regulations and placed in checked baggage.
According to TSA guidelines, firearms must be unloaded, secured in a hard-sided case, and declared to the airline during check-in.
The agency reiterated that all firearms are strictly prohibited at security checkpoints and within the passenger cabin of aircraft, regardless of whether a passenger holds a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry state.
Given that TSA does not seize firearms, when a firearm is detected at a checkpoint, the officer must contact local law enforcement to take possession of the weapon. The decision to arrest or cite the passenger is left to the discretion of the law enforcement officer, based on local regulations, although the TSA can impose a civil penalty of nearly $15,000, as per the agency.
Notably, last year, over 1,100 firearms were discovered at just three of the nation's airports. Security officers at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest airport in the country, detected 451 firearms in carry-on bags, surpassing all other airports, TSA data revealed. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport were ranked second and third, respectively.
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur in Argentina, known as Bajadasaurus pronuspinax. This herbivorous dinosaur had a long neck and spiky back, with vertebrae that extended into sharp spikes. The fossils of this dinosaur were found in Patagonia, and it is believed to have lived during the Cretaceous period. The discovery of Bajadasaurus pronuspinax sheds light on the diversity of dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago.
