Record number of firearms intercepted at airport security checkpoints, Boston on the list, TSA says

BOSTON — The nation saw a record number of firearms intercepted at airport security checkpoints in 2023, with Boston’s Logan International Airport ranking 78th on the list of airports with the most firearms intercepted, federal officials said.

A total of 18 firearms were intercepted at Logan Airport last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Nationally, TSA intercepted a total of 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023, up from 6,542 firearms intercepted at checkpoints in 2022, and prevented them from getting into the secure areas of the airport and onboard aircraft, officials said. Approximately 93 percent of these firearms were loaded.

Topping the list was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, which intercepted 451 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023.

The nationwide total of firearms intercepted at airport security checkpoints “represents the highest one-year total in TSA’s history,” officials said.

“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are only allowed to travel with an unloaded firearm, and only if they pack it properly in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline at the check-in counter.”

In 2023, TSA screened more than 858 million individuals, which indicates the agency intercepted 7.8 firearms per million passengers, a drop from 8.6 per million passengers in 2022, officials said.

When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSOs 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. TSA does not confiscate firearms.

In addition to any action taken by law enforcement, TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint with a civil penalty up to approximately $15,000, revokes TSA PreCheck® eligibility for at least five years and may conduct enhanced screening to ensure there are no other threats present.

For more information on how to properly travel with a firearm, visit: The transporting firearms and ammunition page on TSA.gov. You may also view the complete list of penalties on TSA.gov.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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