Jan. 15—WILKES-BARRE — Transportation Security Administration officers this week said the agency continued to intercept firearms at Pennsylvania airport security checkpoints last year.
TSA officers stopped 97 handguns at Pennsylvania airport security checkpoints in 2024 — a slight decrease from the 103 detected in 2023.
In 2024, TSA at the Pittsburgh International Airport detected 42 handguns, with Philadelphia International Airport coming in second with 40 firearms caught.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport tied for third in the state with Harrisburg International Airport, each having detected 4 firearms in 2024. Lehigh Valley International Airport ranked fourth, with three guns.
Across the country, the agency intercepted 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints last year.
“Our officers across the state are to be commended for their continued vigilance in ensuring that no prohibited or illegal items are carried onto a flight,” said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s federal security director for Pennsylvania. “It was good to see fewer people bringing their guns to our checkpoints in 2024, however it continued to be disappointing to see individuals who were still bringing their firearms to our security checkpoints.
Spero said when stopped by our officers, the majority of people claim that they forgot that they had their gun with them.
“It is careless and irresponsible to not know where your gun is,” Spero said. “Responsible gun owners know where their gun is at all times. And they know not to bring it to an airport checkpoint.”
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints in 2024.
In 2023, 6,737 firearms were intercepted at airport checkpoints.
It was the first annual decrease in firearms detected at checkpoints other than in 2020, when COVID saw a sizable decrease in the number of passengers who flew.
Of the guns caught in 2024, approximately 94% were loaded. Firearms were caught at 277 airport checkpoints nationwide.
One week before Christmas 2024, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday intercepted a 9mm handgun loaded with 11 bullets at the airport checkpoint.
It was the fourth firearm that TSA officers have detected at the airport checkpoint last year.
The weapon was caught as the man, a resident of Orangeville, entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on the firearm among his carry-on items.
TSA officials notified the police, who confiscated the gun and then escorted the man back to his vehicle, returning the firearm to him to allow him to leave it in his car.
This individual faces a stiff financial civil penalty for carrying weapons that can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“Travelers who own firearms need to know that guns can’t be carried into the cabin of a plane,” said Spero. “TSA has been in existence for 23 years, and this regulation has been in place for decades before TSA even existed, so it’s nothing new. Now this individual faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty that could set him back thousands of dollars. That’s an expensive mistake on his part.”
TSA said travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA. Even if a traveler has a concealed weapon permit, firearms are not permitted to be carried onto an airplane. However, travelers with proper firearm permits can travel legally with their firearms in their checked bags if they follow a few simple guidelines.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. TSA advises travelers to familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure to ensure that they have the proper gun permits for the states that they are traveling to and from. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition, so travelers should also contact the airline regarding firearm and ammunition carriage policies prior to arriving at the airport.
In 2024, TSA screened more than 904 million people, meaning the agency intercepted 7.4 firearms per million people, a decrease from 7.8 firearms per million people in 2023.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.