A Shocking Record Setting 378 Of These Were Confiscated at DFW Airport in ’23

In Dallas, TX folks carry. In Fort Worth, TX folks carry. Hell in every city and town around The Lone Star State folks are carrying, so maybe this won't be as big a surprise to read as initially thought.

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2022 was a record setting year for TSA officers across the country as they confiscated more guns at airport checkpoints than ever before, according to this announcement. Well, folks didn't slow down packing heat a bit in '23.

What may be most shocking is that according to the TSA, 93% of these firearms were loaded at the time of confiscation... But when you think about, if someone only mistakenly carries a gun in, it's likely to be loaded, so that may not be as shocking as it first reads either. But that doesn't change the fact they are strictly prohibited to carry on.

“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are only allowed to travel with an unloaded firearm, and only if they pack it properly in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline at the check-in counter.”

If you weren't aware, airlines don't have to permit guns at all, not even in checked bags. In fact, KVUE points out that "All leading U.S. carriers temporarily banned guns in checked bags on flights to Washington, D.C.-area airports for a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol."

So what happens if a gun is discovered on someone? The TSA said in a statement "that when security officers find a firearm, they notify local police who remove the passenger and the weapon from the checkpoint area."

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says "security officers at airport checkpoints intercepted a total of 6,737 firearms in 2023. This number of firearms spotted set a new annual record and surpassed the 2022 record total of 6,542 firearms."