COLUMBUS, Ohio — A report from the Transportation Security Administration shows officers intercepted 55 firearms at John Glenn Columbus International Airport last year.
The agency said the 55 guns is an annual record for the airport. The previous high was set in 2022 with 40 firearms.
Nationwide, TSA officers stopped a total of 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints. About 93% of the guns were loaded. This total passes last year's record of 6,542 firearms stopped at checkpoints.
“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint,” Ohio TSA Federal Security Director Don Barker 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.”
In 2023, TSA screened 858 million people, which indicate the agency intercepted 7.8 firearms for every one million passengers.
When a gun is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA officers immediately call local authorities who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, officers may arrest or cite the passenger. TSA does not confiscate the gun.
Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in a checked bag if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardbacked case and declared at the airline check-in counter. Travelers are encouraged to check for firearm laws in the jurisdiction they are flying to and from.
For more details on how to properly travel with a firearm, click here.