TSA Intercepts Record Number of Firearms at Airport Security Checkpoints in 2023

Officials say more passengers and more gun licenses account for the increase.

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent screens carry-on baggage at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it intercepted 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023, exceeding all previous yearly records.

“Why more guns? More passengers combined with more people who own firearms,” said TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein in an email to The Epoch Times.