INDIANAPOLIS — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says 2021 was a record breaking year for staff stopping firearms at airport checkpoints across the country.
5,972 firearms were stopped, surpassing the previous record of 4,432 firearms caught at checkpoints in the full calendar year 2019.
At the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), 74 handguns were stopped - more than double 2020's total of 36 and an increase of 12 from 2019, when 62 firearms were stopped.
The TSA says nationwide, 86% of those firearms were loaded.
“While our passenger volumes have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, we are seeing even higher numbers of firearms, most of them loaded,” Acting Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Kevin Bidwell said in a news release. “Passengers are strictly prohibited from bringing firearms onboard planes, and our TSA officers are laser-focused on security and preventing weapons from getting through our checkpoints.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100, butthe TSA may impose civil penalties of up to $13,910 per violation per person.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) had the most number of firearms stopped last year with 507.
For more TSA guidance on how to travel with firearms and ammunition, click here.
-
TSA announces REAL ID enforcement begins May 7
TSA announced that beginning May 7, 2025, only REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards will be accepted for official purposes, including boarding commercial flights.
Parts of Emerson Avenue closed due to flooding from water main break
Drivers are asked to avoid the area of Emerson Avenue and East 10th Street after reports of a water main break causing major flooding.
Smith defends investigation in report on Trump's election interference case
Part of former special counsel Jack Smith's report to the attorney general was released to the public, outlining the case his office made against Donald Trump.
'It's detrimental': Indy TikTok creators share concerns about potential ban
A law banning TikTok in the United States could go into effect as soon as this weekend. Indy-based content creators will likely have to find alternatives in the near future.
