The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a report Wednesday saying its agents confiscated 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints in 2024.
Security checkpoints at Newark Airport are on pace to set a record for the number of guns intercepted by the Transportation Security Administration, officials announced Monday.
In the most recent incident, on March 28, a New Jersey man was arrested after trying to bring a 9mm handgun through a checkpoint, the TSA said.
The man was taken into custody by Port Authority police.
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The TSA has now intercepted seven guns in the first three months of the year, putting it on a pace to exceed last year's record-setting number of 21 guns found and 2023's 20 guns stopped by security officials.
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SIGN UP “We have seen a lot of handguns showing up at our security checkpoints so far this year,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey. “This marked the seventh firearm that our officers have prevented from being carried onto a flight. At this rate, we will surpass last year’s record-setting number of guns intercepted at the checkpoints. We would prefer to see fewer travelers bringing guns to our checkpoints than set a new record. Let this serve as a reminder to others who own a firearm that you should never bring it to a security checkpoint.”
The penalty for bringing a gun through a checkpoint can include a fine of up to $15,000 and potentially a civil penalty. Concealed carry permits do not allow for firearms to be brought onto airplanes, the TSA said.
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According to the TSA, passengers can bring unloaded firearms in a locked hard-side container as checked baggage that is declared to airline staff at the ticket counter. The weapon will travel with checked baggage on the plane.
More information about the rules of traveling with guns and ammunition can be found here on the TSA's website.
NBC New York has reached out to the Port Authority, which operates Newark Airport, for comment.
