INDIANAPOLIS — The Transportation Security Administration confiscated a record number of firearms, mostly loaded, at Indianapolis International Airport checkpoints in 2023.
TSA officers say they found 95 firearms at the airport in 2023, up from 68 in 2022 and 74 in 2021.
Nationwide, TSA officers are seeing an alarming number of weapons in airports. In 2023, officers stopped 6,737 firearms at 265 airports around the country, surpassing the previous record of 6,542 firearms in 2022.
TSA says they found an average of 18 firearms per day at TSA checkpoints, and nearly 93% of those firearms were loaded.
"Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint,” Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt said. “We urge passengers to start with an empty bag so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that passengers can easily avoid.”
When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA officers immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the passenger.
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.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
