130 Guns Seized At IL Airports In 2024: TSA

ILLINOIS — Transportation Security Administration agents seized 6,678 firearms, almost all of them loaded, before travelers could board airplanes at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and others around the country in 2024, the agency said in a recent news release.

A spokesperson for TSA tells Patch 78 handguns were detected at O'Hare in 2024, an increase of six from the prior year. Meanwhile at Chicago Midway International Airport, 41 firearms were intercepted last year, down slightly from 50 in 2023, which was a record for that airport.

So far in 2025 as of Monday, six guns have been detected at O'Hare, along with five at Midway, according to the spokesperson.

The 2024 combined total for both airports — 119 — is slightly below the 122 firearms detected at the two airports the prior year. Passengers at both Chicago airports brought firearms less frequently than the national average. In all, 130 firearms were intercepted at Illinois airports, according to TSA.

The TSA said 94 percent of the firearms seizures at U.S. airports were loaded weapons. Overall, seizures were down last year, although only marginally with a difference of only about 60 guns between 2024 and 2023.

TSA agents screened 903 million passengers in 2024, compared with 858 million the year prior. The rate of firearms seizures per 1 million travelers was 7.4 in 2024, compared with 7.8 in 2023.

At O'Hare, TSA screened nearly 30.4 million departing passengers and crew in 2024, making it the fourth-busiest airport for TSA security checkpoint screening operations. TSA officers at ORD discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 2.6 firearms per million passengers screened. This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 389,156 travelers screened.

At Midway, TSA screened 7.7 million departing passengers and crew in 2024. TSA officers there discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 5.3 firearms per million passengers screened. This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 187,474 travelers screened.

Airports reporting the most gun seizures were Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta (440); Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (390); and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (272).

Firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags, regardless of whether a passenger has a concealed weapon permit issued under local or state laws, which vary greatly across the United States.

Passengers may travel with unloaded firearms, but only if they are in a locked, hard-sided container in checked baggage, according to TSA rules. They also must declare the firearm and ammunition when checking the bag.

Other restrictions apply, and the TSA reminds gun owners the container the firearm was purchased in may not adequately secure the gun in checked baggage.