TSA Seized 60 Guns From Detroit Metro Airport In 2024

ROMULUS, MI — Transportation Security Administration agents seized 6,678 firearms, almost all of them loaded, before travelers could board airplanes at Detroit Metro Airport and others around the country in 2024, the agency said in a recent news release.

The TSA said 94 percent of the firearms seizures at U.S. airports were loaded weapons. Overall, seizures were down last year, although only marginally with a difference of only about 60 guns between 2024 and 2023.

TSA agents screened 903 million passengers in 2024, compared with 858 million the year prior. The rate of firearms seizures per 1 million travelers was 7.4 in 2024, compared with 7.8 in 2023.

Officials stopped 60 firearms at Detroit Metro Airport security checkpoints in 2024, a significant decrease from the 96 they stopped in 2023.

Other major Michigan airports where officials stopped guns at checkpoints in 2024 include:

• Flint Bishop Airport - 2
• Gerald R. Ford International Airport - 19
• Cherry Capital Airport - 5
• Delta County Airport - 0
• Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport - 3
• Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport - 1
• Ford Airport - 1
• Gogebic - Iron County Airport - 1

"When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they are introducing a risk to everyone in the area," Michigan TSA Federal Security Director Reggie Stephens said. "These incidents significantly slow down the checkpoint screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in the lane comes to a complete halt until law enforcement arrives. Unloaded firearms can be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline."

Airports reporting the most gun seizures were Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta (440); Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (390); and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (272).

Firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags, regardless of whether a passenger has a concealed weapon permit issued under local or state laws, which vary greatly across the United States.

Passengers may travel with unloaded firearms, but only if they are in a locked, hard-sided container in checked baggage, according to TSA rules. They also must declare the firearm and ammunition when checking the bag.

Other restrictions apply, and the TSA reminds gun owners the container the firearm was purchased in may not adequately secure the gun in checked baggage.