The Transportation Security Administration reported that it stopped a record 55 firearms at security checkpoints at Columbus John Glenn International Airport in 2023.
TSA also stopped three guns at Rickenbacker International Airport’s passenger terminal.
Nationwide, TSA stopped 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints, which is also an annual record. About 93% of firearms were loaded.
In 2023, Columbus John Glenn International Airport saw the most guns intercepted of Ohio’s major airports, with 38 handguns stopped at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, eight at Dayton International Airport and three at Akron-Canton International Airport.
The rate of guns stopped at security checkpoints in Columbus was above the national average. TSA screened 4.6 million passengers at Columbus John Glenn International Airport and discovered a firearm in carry-on luggage at a rate of 11.9 firearms per one million people screened. The national average rate was 7.8 per one million.
Cleveland passengers brought guns to airport checkpoints at a rate below the national average, at about 7.2 firearms per one million passengers.
TSA can fine passengers who bring a gun to a security checkpoint up to $15,000 and can revoke privileges like TSA PreCheck.
Firearms are allowed to be in checked bags if they meet certain criteria, including being unloaded, in a locked hardback case, and declared at the airline check-in counter.
In a statement, TSA said that when TSA officers detect a firearm at a checkpoint, they immediately call local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint. Depending on local laws, law enforcement may arrest or cite the passenger.
TSA said officers do not confiscate firearms.
