LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — In 2023, the TSA reported finding 119 firearms in carry-on luggage in Kentucky. That's compared to 6,737 discoveries nationwide. The last time the state hit this total was in 2021.
Mark Howell, a TSA regional spokesperson, shares, "The excuse we get in almost every instance is 'Oops I forgot it was in there.' 99.9% of the time. So, we're asking passengers to start with an empty bag when they're packing, pay attention to what they're putting in there, and then doing a double check before they come to the airport to make sure that they don't have those firearms."
Howell explains that last year more than 858 million passengers and crew were screened. In Kentucky, more than 8 million departing travelers were screened -- that's up more than 18% since 2022. He says the increase in screenings could contribute to the increase in firearm discovery numbers. You can see here how those totals have fluctuated over the last five years in the us and how they've moved in Kentucky. TSA officials are warning people of the consequences of bringing firearms through checkpoints.
Howell says, "We want to make sure that people that want to travel with a firearm are doing it the right way and bringing it to the security checkpoint is the absolute wrong way to do it. It's gonna get you an interaction with local law enforcement, you're gonna get a civil penalty from TSA of nearly $15,000, you could also lose your TSA precheck privileges if you're a member of precheck, and every time that your travel after that you're going to get enhanced screening."
Now, Howell explains that the TSA is trying to prevent this from happening to travelers. They're making more of an effort to increase signage at airports and spreading the word in the community.
He says, "If you're at the airport and you have that firearm in your bag, it's kinda too late so. We're trying to step back a bit further than that and do some grassroots type of education on how to travel with it properly. What a lot of our local teams are doing is they are going out to local gun sellers, to gun shows and they are giving out information on how to properly pack it and about the kind of consequences of bringing it to the security checkpoint."
More information for travelers is available at www.TSA.gov.
