825 firearms were seized at Florida airports last year, TSA says

Rachel Tucker
·2 min read
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) seized over 800 firearms at Florida airports in 2023, down slightly from the previous year.

Three Florida airports made the national top 10 list, the agency announced in a Friday news release.

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Orlando International Airport (MCO), Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) were ranked 7th, 8th and 9th on the list, respectively. The amount of firearms seized in 2023 broke records for each airport.

“Every year, MCO, FLL and TPA are typically in the top 10 or 11 airports across the country for passengers violating federal regulations by bringing firearms to the TSA checkpoints,” the news release stated.

Here’s how many guns were seized by TSA from Florida airports last year:

  • Orlando International Airport – 164

  • Tampa International Airport – 144

  • Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport – 135

  • Miami International Airport – 77

  • Jacksonville International Airport – 73

  • Palm Beach International Airport – 35

  • Pensacola International Airport – 27

  • Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport – 20

  • Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport – 18

  • St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport – 17

  • Punta Gorda International Airport – 16

  • Tallahassee International Airport – 14

  • Orlando Sanford International Airport – 13

  • Daytona Beach International Airport – 13

  • Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport – 12

  • Melbourne Orlando International Airport – 4

  • Gainesville Regional Airport – 1

  • Key West International Airport – 1

  • Total: 825

2023’s total was down 3% from 2022, TSA said.

TSA officers encountered a record number of firearms in airports across the country. Out of 6,737 guns seized from passengers, 93% of them were loaded.

“An accidental discharge could result in tragedy,” TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said in a statement. “Every passenger bears the responsibility of knowing exactly where their firearm is before entering the federal security checkpoint and that must not be on their person or in their carry-on.”

Most of the passengers caught with firearms were arrested or given notices to appear in court, and faced a near-$15,000 civil penalty from the TSA. Anyone caught with a gun while enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program could lose access to the program permanently.

“If you are going to travel with your firearm it must be in your checked bag, but be sure you know exactly what the firearm laws are on each side of your trip or you may be heading to jail instead of to your vacation or business trip,” Koshetz said. “Firearms may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions.”

Officers in Florida have intercepted 50 firearms so far this year, TSA said.

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