As record number of guns were confiscated at US airports last year, fewer found at Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — As Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a record number of handguns at US airports last year, the number of such weapons discovered at Indianapolis International Airport checkpoints was actually down from the previous year.

TSA reported their officers discovered 68 handguns during security checks at Indianapolis last year, which is 74 fewer than in 2021. Thirty six were found at IND checkpoints in 2020.

“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is an expensive, dangerous mistake that far too many people are making,” said Aaron Batt, Indiana TSA federal security director. “Our TSA officers are doing a fantastic job preventing weapons from making their way onboard aircraft, but the responsibility falls to passengers to pack smart and keep prohibited items out of their baggage.”

Nationwide, the TSA said they discovered 6,542 firearms over the course of the year, 570 more than was found in 2021, which previously held the record.

The TSA already knew it would be a record-breaking year before 2022 even finished. By Dec. 16, the agency had already confiscated a record 6,301 firearms on passengers or in their carry-on luggage, breaking the 2021 record. In the last 15 days of the year, 241 more guns were found among the luggage of holiday travelers. 

The agency reported that 88% of the guns they confiscated were loaded at the time. 

All those guns can be a costly mistake for travelers. In December, TSA raised the fines for carrying a gun through airport security because of the increase through 2022. 

Previously, an unloaded gun carried a fine between $1,500 and $2,475 and a criminal referral, while a loaded gun found at airport security could lead to a fine between $3,000 and $10,000.

For the 241 guns found in the last two weeks of the year, the maximum fine for a loaded gun could be as much as $14,950. Repeat offenders could rack up fines for even more, according to the agency's website. 

Federal law prohibits passengers other than certain law enforcement officers from bringing guns or ammunition into the cabin of a plane, although the law allows passengers to put guns in checked bags that go into the cargo hold if they are unloaded and in a locked case.

Airlines don't have to permit guns even in checked bags. All leading U.S. carriers temporarily banned guns in checked bags on flights to Washington, D.C.-area airports for a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Which airports seized the most guns in 2022?

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) - 448
2. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) - 385
3. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) - 298
4. Nashville International Airport (BNA) - 213
5. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)  - 196
6. Orlando International Airport (MCO) - 162
7. Denver International Airport (DEN) - 156
8. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) - 150
9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) - 134
10. Tampa International Airport (TPA) - 131