CHARLOTTE, N.C. — TSA officers at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport have found 118 firearms at security checkpoints so far in 2023.
This surpasses 2022's record of 117, according to TSA Southeast, and 2023 is not over.
Despite signs at security checkpoints saying, "Firearms and firearm parts are not allowed through security checkpoints," police records in 2022 indicated Charlotte's airport was on track to beat a record for the number of weapons discovered at airport security.
TSA regional spokesperson Mark Howell said there are two key factors that may contribute to the increase. One being more people are traveling and more are choosing to own a firearm.
“If you're planning to travel with a gun, make sure you do it the right way, and bringing it to the security checkpoint is the absolute wrong way," Howell said.
Howell said if you plan to travel with a firearm, it needs to be unloaded and placed in a hard-sided case with padding. The firearm also has to be declared at the ticket counter prior to flying. Licensed gun owners can travel with their firearms so long as they are packed according to regulations.
And traveling with a firearm that's not properly declared or stored can impact travelers who aren't choosing to carry one.
“It's going to slow things down for everybody," Howell explained. "What happens when we have a firearm is we're going to call law enforcement to remove it because, 90% of the time, it's loaded. So, for everybody's safety, we're going to let law enforcement remove that firearm in the passenger from the area."
Howell added these are important traveling guidelines as the penalties could be costly.
"If you bring a firearm to the security checkpoint, we get law enforcement involved, you're gonna get a citation or arrest based off of whatever the the local law is," Howell outlined. "You're also gonna get a civil penalty from us, TSA, that can go upwards of $15,000. If you're a member of our TSA Precheck program, you're going to lose your pre-check privileges for a period of up to five years.”
Larry Hyatt with Hyatt Guns said they sell products to help travelers avoid any issues.
“If you want to take your gun with you on a trip, we've got these special boxes," Hyatt suggested. "They have special locks [that are] TSA approved, and they're not even that expensive. And you have to do it to check luggage."
You can find a full list of what is, and is not, allowed through TSA checkpoints here.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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