Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped 42 handguns at New York City area airport checkpoints in 2024, a notable decrease from the 51 guns caught in 2023, although a record number of guns were intercepted at Newark Liberty International Airport in 2024. Each of the firearms were discovered by TSA officers during the routine screening of carry-on property at airport security checkpoints.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints in 2024. In 2023, 6,737 firearms were intercepted at airport checkpoints. It was the first annual decrease in firearms detected at checkpoints other than in 2020 when COVID saw a sizable decrease in the number of passengers who flew. Of the guns caught in 2024, approximately 94 percent were loaded. Firearms were caught at 277 airport checkpoints nationwide.
“The TSA team at Newark set a record for the most guns intercepted at our checkpoints in a single year,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “It is not a record that we seek to set. We would much rather see fewer people bring their guns to our checkpoints. With that said, I commend our officers and officers nationwide who have remained vigilant and focused on our mission throughout the year.”
TSA firearms catches at New York City area airport checkpoints, 2018 to 2024
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) |
14
|
11 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
20 |
21 |
|
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) |
2 |
8 |
2 |
9 |
7 |
15 |
10 |
|
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) |
2 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
9 |
10 |
|
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
Westchester County Airport (HPN) |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
|
New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
20 |
27 |
17 |
26 |
39 |
51 |
42 |
The original announcement can be found here.