TSA found 53 guns at MSP security checkpoints in 2023

Record number of guns showing up airports

MSP Airport, like others, is seeing a growing problem of guns being brought to the airport.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Dozens of firearms were recovered at security checkpoints in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in 2023, according to federal officials.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said officers at MSP found 53 firearms in 2023, five fewer guns than the year before. In previous years, TSA agents at MSP found 58 firearms in 2022, 56 firearms in 2021, 34 firearms in 2020, and 40 firearms in 2019.

"Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint," Minnesota TSA Federal Security Director Marty Robinson said in a statement. "We urge passengers to start with an empty bag so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that passengers can easily avoid."

TSA screened more than 13.4 million crew and passengers at MSP last year and discovered one firearm for every 253,361 travelers, according to federal officials.

While MSP saw a drop in the number of firearms, TSA seized a record number of guns at U.S. airports. In 2023, agents stopped 6,737 guns at checkpoints, nearly 200 more firearms than in 2022. Federal officials say an estimated 95% of firearms were loaded, up from 88% of loaded firearms found the year prior.

Here are the airports with the highest number of guns caught by TSA at checkpoints in 2023:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) - 451
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) - 378
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) - 311
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) - 235
Nashville International Airport (BNA) - 188
Denver International Airport (DEN) - 178
Orlando International Airport (MCO) - 164
Tampa International Airport (TPA) - 144
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) – 135
Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) – 125

Passengers who are caught with a firearm in their carry-on bag can face a civil penalty of up to $15,000 and could have their TSA PreCheck revoked for at least five years for the offense.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms, but they must be packed in a checked bag, be separate from ammunition, locked in a hardback case, and be unloaded, and passengers must inform the airline of the firearm when checking in. Firearm possession laws vary by state, so travelers should check the areas they are flying to and from.