Bringing a gun to TSA checkpoints can be costly mistake or land you in jail

TAMPA, Fla. - Agents stopped over 5,000 firearms at airport checkpoints so far this year, which is on track to break last year’s record of just over 6,500, according to new data from the Transportation Security Administration.

94% of all the guns seized at checkpoints nationwide, were loaded, according to the TSA.

Agents have stopped thousands of guns so far this year. 

New data from TSA said 44 firearms have been seized at Tampa International Airport since the permitless carry law in Florida was enacted. In 2022, TPA saw a record number of firearms at its checkpoints – 131. 

TSA officials said Tampa's airport is on track for that record to be broken yet again by the end of this year. So far in 2023, TSA agents have found 111 guns in people's carry-on bags flying out of TPA. 

The chief of police at TPA said a lot of flyers say they forget the gun is in their bag, then they bring it with them to the airport.

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But, gun experts said it is a lousy excuse.

"I don’t know how anybody could say, I forgot that I had it on my person, I forgot that I had it in my bag, that just shows that you’re irresponsible, you probably shouldn’t even have a gun," explained Kirby Lavallee, a former deputy for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Here’s the rule: you can have a gun when you fly, but it must be checked in a locked and hard-sided case, and the gun must be unloaded. The traveler also has to notify the airline about the firearm when checking it in at the counter.

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Officials warn that travelers should not bring loaded guns through TSA.

If you bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint, it could be a costly mistake.

You’ll get hit with a civil penalty up to almost $15,000. A TSA agent will also contact local law enforcement who will take the firearm.  Also, an officer who takes possession of the gun can arrest or cite the passenger, depending on what the local law is.

In Florida, it’s a second-degree misdemeanor that could land you up to 60 days in jail, a maximum fine of $500, and up to six months of probation.