TSA officers intercept new record number of guns at Columbus airport in 2023, most loaded

Transportation Security Administration officers at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport checkpoint intercepted a new record number of firearms that flyers put in their carry-on baggage in 2023, and it's a problem occurring nationwide.

According to TSA data released Tuesday to The Dispatch, officers found a total of 55 firearms at the John Glenn Columbus (CMH) airport checkpoint in 2023 — far surpassing the previous record of 40 firearms snagged in 2022. The vast majority of the guns each year were loaded.

“It’s troubling that we’ve set an all-time record for firearms stopped at the checkpoint," said Don Barker, the Ohio TSA federal security director.

Most troubling, Barker said, was that the previous record set in 2022 was surpassed in October, with three months still left in 2023.

“In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose," Barker said, "they also slow down the screening process for all passengers when we’re forced to temporarily close down a lane."

Barker urged airline passengers to "think twice before they leave the house about what they’re bringing in their carry-on bags."

Despite the pleading from Barker and other TSA officials, however, the increase in firearms intercepted at airports is not unique to Columbus.

Nationwide, the TSA stopped a record 6,542 firearms at airport checkpoints in 2022. Although the final total for 2023 was not yet available Tuesday, the TSA had found 5,072 firearms as of Sept. 30, 2023, a pace that was expected to shatter the previous year's record.

TSA officers detected about 1,820 firearms at checkpoints nationwide in the third quarter of 2023 (July-September) alone, which averages out to nearly 20 incidents per day across the U.S.

At LaGuardia Airport in New York City, TSA officers using an X-ray caught one traveler attempting to smuggle more than a dozen bullets inside of a diaper. At Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, officers intercepted a passenger who packed a 50-caliber anti-aircraft round.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, TSA officers intercepted a man bringing a loaded .40-caliber handgun onto a flight. In fact, 94% of firearms caught by TSA officers through Sept. 30, 2023, were loaded, which is higher than the more than 88% found in 2022.

The Columbus TSA figures do not include the passenger terminal at Rickenbacker International Airport, from which Allegiant airline flies. One or two handguns have been intercepted there annually over the last five years, though there was one year with five.

What happens if TSA finds a firearm in your carry-on luggage?

If TSA catches you with a firearm at a security checkpoint, that can land you a civil fine anywhere between $3,000 and $10,700. If it's a repeat violation, civil fines start at $10,700 and go up to $14,950, according to the civil enforcement section on the TSA website.

In addition to the civil penalties, the case could be referred for criminal prosecution on a charge such as fourth-degree misdemeanor trespassing. And, if you're one of the 15 million people who pay for TSAPreCheck, you can lose your eligibility for up to 5 years.

In the event that a traveler is caught with a firearm at a security checkpoint at Columbus John Glenn, the TSA notifies the Columbus Regional Airport Authority police. Once they arrive, they'll unload and confiscate the firearm, which can only be returned to the owner through a court order signed by a judge. The airport police can also refer the matter to the Columbus City Attorney's Office for potential prosecution.

Forgetfulness and the burden of proof

Most travelers caught with handguns or other weapons by TSA officers say they "forgot" they put them their carry-on bags, the TSA and prosecutors say.

Because many gun owners use this excuse when they are caught with firearms, it is difficult for the Columbus City Attorney's Office or other prosecutors to secure criminal convictions, spokesman Pete Shipley said. Prosecutors must prove that the gun owner was "criminally reckless" in bringing the gun to the security checkpoint, a difficult standard to meet in most, if not all, cases, he said.

"In this context, it would mean that they acted with heedless indifference when they ignored signage, overhead announcements etc. and still carried the firearm past the checkpoint," Shipley said.

"In nearly all of our cases, they (say they) have no idea the firearm is in their bag. It’s been the opinion of our office and, that of judges that not double checking the contents of your bag when you see the (airport) sign or hear the announcement is insufficient to prove recklessness," he said.

Due to this high standard, these cases are usually dismissed, and offenders must complete community service, firearm training, and other accountability requirements. They usually do not lose the right to carry a firearm, Shipley said, which would require someone to commit a felony or certain misdemeanor crimes of violence.

Legal experts and prosecutors told The Dispatch that it is a combination of gun owners being unfamiliar with local laws and outright forgetfulness that are likely fueling the increase in firearms caught at TSA checkpoints.

The TSA says those laws prohibit firearms at TSA checkpoints, secure areas of the airport beyond the checkpoints and on board a passenger aircraft — regardless of whether the gun owner has a concealed carry permit or local gun laws allow constitutional carry.

John Gripshover, director of Franklin County Prosecutor's Office Gun Unit, said there needs to be "more publicity" about those laws prohibiting firearms at airports and on planes.

Laws enacted by the Ohio legislature that allowed more people to carry guns without additional education or firearms training are also to blame, Gripshover said.

Gun rights group: 'Humans make mistakes'

Dean Reick, executive director of the Buckeyes Firearms Association, said that while gun owners need to pay better attention when it comes to handling and packing their guns for air travel, invoking stiffer penalties may not deter people from accidentally bringing their firearms to TSA checkpoints.

"People are forgetting that they're carrying guns in their bags, but I don't think they're trying to do anything criminal," said Dieck. He also pointed to the fact that the TSA will find the firearm when a passenger's bag goes through the X-ray machine at checkpoints, so that nobody would actually get through with a firearm.

He suggested that airports adopt bigger signage before checkpoints so that travelers remember to double-check their baggage.

"Humans make mistakes," Dieck said of the increasing number of gun owners bringing firearms to airports in carry-ons, "and this isn't something I would particularly be concerned about."

@ShahidMeighan

smeighan@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: TSA intercepted new record number of guns in 2023 at Columbus airport