Thousands of firearms caught in airport screenings
TSA intercepts one firearm at Minot airport in 2024
WASHINGTON – Airport security detected just one firearm in passenger screenings at Minot International Airport in 2024, according to new Transportation Security Administration data. However, the number of firearms intercepted by the TSA at airport security checkpoints nationwide was 6,678 last year. About 94% of the firearms were loaded, the TSA reported.
The numbers reflect a minor decrease from the 6,737 firearms stopped in 2023. TSA intercepted five firearms at the Minot airport in 2023 and four in 2022.
Other North Dakota airports at which firearms were discovered last year were: Bismarck, six; Fargo, eight; Grand Forks, one; Williston, three.
Throughout 2024, TSA conducted its “Prepare, Pack, Declare” public awareness campaign to explain the steps for safely traveling with a firearm.
“One firearm at a checkpoint is too many,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske in a news release. “Firearms present a safety risk for our employees and everyone else at the checkpoint. It’s also costly and slows down operations. If individuals who carry a firearm intend to travel, we remind them that the firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline at the check-in counter and transported in checked baggage.”
In 2024, TSA screened more than 904 million people, which means the agency intercepted 7.4 firearms per million people, a decrease from 7.8 firearms per million people in 2023.
When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, local law enforcement is contacted to remove the individual and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the individual.
TSA does not confiscate firearms. In addition to any action taken by law enforcement, individuals who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint face a maximum civil penalty of $14,950, will have their TSA PreCheck eligibility revoked for at least five years and will undergo enhanced screening to ensure there are no other threats present.
TSA-intercepted firearms
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS)
6 3 3 4 6
Hector International Airport (FAR)
8 3 5 4 0
Grand Forks International Airport (GFK)
1 1 2 1 1
Minot International Airport (MOT)
1 5 4 2 2
Williston Basin International Airport (XWA)
3