Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted 13 firearms at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) during the first quarter of 2024, which ended March 31. This represents a decline over the same period in 2023, when 26 firearms were stopped at DTW.
Most recently, firearms were discovered in a passenger’s carry-on property during X-ray screening at a DTW checkpoint in separate incidents on April 4, April 9, and April 11. These three detections will be counted toward the agency’s second-quarter tally. In all firearm detections at DTW, the Wayne County Airport Police were alerted, responded to the checkpoint, and confiscated the weapon.
Nationwide, 1,503 firearms at airport were detected at security checkpoints during the first quarter of the year. This total represents an average of 16.5 firearms per day detected at TSA checkpoints, comparable to firearm detections during the same time period in 2023, when TSA officers intercepted 1,508 firearms at airport security checkpoints, an average of 16.8 firearm catches per day. During both time periods, more than 93% of firearms were loaded.
The number of airline passengers screened at TSA security checkpoints increased from the same time period in 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) screened more than 206 million passengers, compared to more than 191 million passengers in the first quarter of 2023, representing an increase of 7.8%. The rate of passengers with firearms during the most recent quarter was 7.3 firearms per one million passengers, which is a slight decrease from the same period in 2023, when the rate of discovery was 7.9 firearms per one million passengers.
“While it is certainly promising that the rate of passengers bringing firearms to the checkpoint has decreased, one firearm at the checkpoint is too many,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The demand for air travel is as strong as ever and security is always our number one priority. Every time we discover a firearm at the checkpoint, the security screening process is slowed down for all. Traveling with a firearm is allowed and it must be packed properly as checked baggage and declared to the airline at the ticket counter. We always recommend passengers start with a clean bag when they pack to ensure no firearms, weapons or other prohibited items are present.”
