INDIANAPOLIS — Transportation Security Administration agents uncovered three firearms at Indianapolis International Airport Sunday, setting a new record for firearms stopped in a year.
The firearms were stopped by TSA officers in two incidents Sunday morning, the TSA said in a release. All three of the weapons were loaded. The firearms were confiscated when Indianapolis Airport Police officers responded to the checkpoint.
One of the incidents reportedly happened at 6:20 a.m., the second at 9 a.m.
The discoveries pushed the total firearms detected at checkpoints at Indianapolis International to 75 so far this year, eclipsing the previous record of 74 set in 2021, with more than three months remaining on the calendar. A total of 68 firearms were detected in all of 2022, TSA said.
“In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose, they also slow down the screening process for all passengers when we’re forced to temporarily close down a lane," Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt said. "I urge passengers to think twice before they leave the house about what they’re bringing in their carry-on bags.”
Fines for a firearm violation can be as much as $14,950, TSA said. The agency determines the penalty based on the circumstances of each case. Passengers caught with a firearm in their possession at an airport security checkpoint will also lose eligibility for the TSA PreCheck program for at least five years.
Passengers can travel with a gun in a checked bag as long as it is unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
For more information from the TSA about safely and legally traveling with a firearm, click here.