TSA Fined Travelers Record $23 Million For Packing Guns In Carry-On Bags In 2024

 

A sign at Miami International Airport warns travelers not to bring firearms or weapons through the security checkpoint

Last year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) levied a record $23 million in civil penalties against travelers caught with guns in their carry-on luggage—a 1200% escalation from 2018.

Key Facts

The TSA levied $22,988,794.50 in civil fines against travelers last year—a 10% jump from 2023, Robert Langston, an agency spokesperson, tells Forbes.

In 2024, TSA officers intercepted 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints across the country—and 94% were loaded.

Getting caught with a firearm while going through an airport security checkpoint carries a minimum civil fine of $1,500, according to TSA guidance.

If the gun is loaded, then the minimum civil penalty jumps to $3,000.

For repeat offenders, the maximum fine can climb to just over $17,000.

Passengers may legally travel with a firearm as long as it is unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline and packed in checked baggage.

Key Background

TSA officials have seen a correlation between the volume of guns stopped at airport security checkpoints and the rise in permitless carry laws across the country. Such laws are now in place in 29 states, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). At the same time, the volume of new air travelers has also grown, with the TSA screening roughly 28% more passengers than a decade ago.

Big Number

$89 million. That’s the total amount in civil fines the TSA has levied against gun-packing travelers since 2018. In the years between 2018 and 2024, the annual total of civil penalties levied against airline passengers for firearms caught at airports levied grew 13 fold.

Surprising Fact

Authorized airport personnel are subject to the same screening. On Saturday, TSA officers screening an airline contractor at Pittsburgh International Airport discovered a 9mm handgun loaded with 12 bullets, including one in the chamber. Crediting officers for what “could have been an insider threat,” Gerardo Spero, TSA’s federal security director for Pennsylvania and Delaware, added that the contractor’s airport credentials were subsequently confiscated and deactivated.

Tangent

In addition to getting hit with civil fines, travelers caught bringing firearms through checkpoints may also face criminal charges in states and local jurisdictions with stricter gun restrictions. When a TSA officer detects a firearm at a security checkpoint, the first step is to contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area.