42 Firearms Detected At BWI Checkpoints In 2023 Sets Record: TSA

BALTIMORE, MD — Transportation Security Administration officers stopped 42 firearms last year at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Security checkpoints. That was seven more than the 35 stopped at BWI in 2022, and a record for the most guns seized in a year.

The number of firearms stopped at Washington, D.C.'s other two airports was slightly different than what was detected at BWI in 2023.

Thirty-nine firearms were stopped at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2023, which was 10 more than the previous year. However, TSA officers at Washington Dulles International Airport detected fewer firearms last year compared to the previous year, 24 in 2023 compared to 25 for 2022.

In 2023, TSA officers detected a total 6,737 firearms at security checkpoints at 265 airports across the U.S. That was a significant increase over the 6,542 detected in 2022. Approximately 93 percent of the firearms detected in 2023 were loaded.

The majority of those who had their firearms stopped at airport security checkpoints told TSA officers that they had forgotten that they had a gun in their carry-on bag.

Penalties vary for bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint, depending on the jurisdiction. In Virginia, bringing a firearm to a TSA checkpoint is considered a criminal act. A complete list of penalties is posted online.

People are allowed to travel with their handguns, but the handguns must be properly stored in their checked baggage and declared at check-in. In addition, handguns must be stored unloaded in a hard-locked case, with ammunition stored separately. The hard-locked case must be brought to the airline check-in window, where it will be checked with the traveler's baggage. TSA has more information available online for people traveling with firearms.