TSA Confiscates More Firearms At Dulles, Reagan Airports In 2019

DULLES, VA -- Transportation Security Administration officers confiscated more handguns at the Greater Washington-Baltimore airport checkpoints in 2019 than they did in the previous year, according to a press release. TSA officers stopped 60 handguns last year compared to 55 in 2018. That increase mirrors a trend seen at other airport checkpoints across the U.S.

In 2019, TSA officers found a total of 4,432 firearms on passengers or in carry-on bags nationwide. That comes out to an average of 12.1 firearms a day, or a 5 percent overall increase in discoveries compared to the 4,239 confiscated in 2018 across the U.S. Of all the firearms detected at checkpoints in 2019, 87 percent were loaded.

TSA Firearms Catches at Checkpoints in Airports in the Baltimore/Washington Region

TSA can level federal civil penalties of up to $13,000 against individuals who bring firearms to an airport checkpoint, with a typical penalty for first-time offense being $4,100. Those travelers may face additional criminal charges from law enforcement.

All travelers are prohibited from carrying a firearm onto a plane. This even applies to travelers with a concealed weapon permit.

Individuals with the proper permits can travel with a firearm in their checked bags, provided the weapon is locked, unloaded, packed separately from ammunition and in a hard-side case. The ammunition must be inside its original packaging, even if the box is not full. For guidelines, visit the TSA website.

In 2019, TSA confiscated firearms at 278 airport checkpoints nationwide. The top five airports TSA officers found guns at checkpoints were:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (323)
• Dallas/Fort Worth International (217)
• Denver International (140)
• George Bush Houston Intercontinental (138)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International (132)

Read more ...

Loaded Firearm Found In Carry-on Bag At Reagan National