BWI Airport Gun Catches On Rise, TSA 'Alarmed' About Spike

LINTHICUM, MD — Officers have been catching more guns recently at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum.

Authorities reminded travelers that firearms are never allowed in carry-ons and that bringing a gun to a security checkpoint could result in arrest and hefty fines.

The Transportation Security Administration caught 35 guns at BWI Airport last year, setting a new record. Eighty-three percent of those firearms were loaded.

TSA caught its 10th gun of 2023 on Tuesday. This handgun was loaded. BWI Airport is on track for about 46 gun seizures this year.

"Our officers are good at their jobs, but that is not the type of record we want to set," Christopher Murgia, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Maryland, said in a Thursday press release. "We would much rather see travelers pack their firearms properly for a flight or leave them at home."

TSA turns the suspects and their seized guns over to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. The MDTA Police then decide if the passenger should be arrested or cited.

"The MDTA Police are committed to ensuring a safe travel experience for everyone traveling through BWI Airport," Capt. Kevin Ayd said in the release. "A big piece of that mission is partnering with TSA to ensure firearms are transported safely and legally."

Officers caught a combined 89 handguns last year at the Baltimore-Washington area's three major airports. That's up nearly 24 percent from the 72 guns caught in 2021.

The table below shows how gun catches have trended over the last seven years.

TSA officers discovered all of the 2022 firearms during the routine screening of carry-on bags at security checkpoints.

The Maryland upswing in gun seizures follows the national trend of rising firearm stops at airports.

TSA caught 6,542 guns at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2022. That was an increase from the 5,972 detected in 2021. Last year's total was also a spike from the 4,432 stopped in 2019 before the pandemic.

Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson for the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, thinks passengers should be comforted by the increasing number of firearms caught at security checkpoints.

"They should feel reassured that the TSA officers are good at their jobs because they stop people from bringing guns onto flights," Farbstein told Patch in a December 2022 email.

An increase in firearms ownership coincides with the increase in the number of guns intercepted at TSA checkpoints. In 2020, an estimated 16.6 million adults in the United States bought a firearm, compared to 13.8 million in 2019, according to a study published online last year in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The number of weapons stopped at U.S. airport checkpoints has risen sharply since 2010, when screeners intercepted 1,123 guns. Firearm seizures have increased every year since then, except in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced air travel.

"The most common excuse we hear is that someone forgot that they had their gun with them," Murgia said in the release. "That’s no excuse. If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times. It’s part of being a responsible gun owner."

Here is a look at the rising number of guns seized nationally over the past 15 years.

Nationwide, about 88 percent of the firearms detected last year were loaded. Guns were caught at 262 airport checkpoints around the country in 2022.

Here were the 10 airports with the most gun stops last year:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
  • 448
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
  • 385
• Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport
  • 298
• Nashville International Airport
  • 213
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
  • 196
• Orlando International Airport
  • 162
• Denver International Airport
  • 156
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
  • 150
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
  • 134
• Tampa International Airport
• 131

Passengers are never allowed to have a gun on their person or in their carry-on luggage, even if they have a concealed carry permit.

Travelers can only fly with firearms in their checked baggage if the guns are unloaded and packed in a locked, hard-sided case. Ammunition must be in its original box, even if the box is not full. Bullets can be packed in the locked, hard-sided case next to the gun.

Passengers must bring their firearm to the airline check-in counter and declare it to an airline representative. Guns are placed in the belly of the aircraft so nobody can access them during the flight.

Visit this link to see TSA's full instructions on how to properly travel with a gun. Travelers should also check their local laws and airline policies before flying with a firearm.

Passengers who bring weapons to an airport security checkpoint may get federal fines of up to $15,000. Officials will also revoke the Trusted Traveler status and the TSA PreCheck expedited screening benefits for anybody who breaks these rules. A full list of penalties is posted here.

Travelers can check if an item is allowed in carry-on baggage by:

• Using the "What Can I Bring?" feature on the TSA website or on the free downloadable myTSA app
• Tweeting to @AskTSA
• Sending a text with a photo or a question to 275-872

Related: BWI Airport Security Seizes Record Number Of Guns In 2022