Americans tried to bring more guns than ever before onto planes in 2023

Most travellers know that we need to be very careful about which items we have in our purses or carry-on luggage when we fly: no knives, liquids in only small amounts, or even nail scissors could be seen as dangerous. However, many Americans think that taking a gun on a plane is perfectly acceptable.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that according to federal officials, in 2023, more people tried to bring guns onto planes than ever before.

Even more shocking is the fact that federal officials say that most of the guns were loaded, as in 93% of them were!

According to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), 858 million people were screened at American airports prior to boarding their flights, and 6,737 guns were found in 2023, the most ever seen by TSA in a single year.

In fact, as the Los Angeles Daily News highlights, over the past three years, the amount of people trying to bring firearms onto airplanes has continued to increase, and 2024 is following the trend.

CNN reported that according to TSA, in the first quarter of 2024, officers found 1,503 guns in carry-on bags at U.S. airports. That means that TSA officers found 16.5 firearms every day from January to March of 2024.

You might be wondering why people are trying to "sneak" guns on airplanes. Well, the fact is they are not. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, TSA agents say that most people caught with a firearm in their carry-on claim that they forgot it was in their bag.

According to TSA agents, the increase is primarily due to the fact that more and more people are travelling by air in the United States.

Federal statistics show an increase of 100 million passengers travelling by plane in 2023 compared to 2022: more passengers mean more guns.

Lorie Dankers (pictured), a TSA spokeswoman, told the L.A. Daily News, "More people are travelling — there's more travelers now." She added, "It kind of makes sense that we're detecting more."

TSA told CNN that passengers are permitted to travel with a firearm, but they must follow a specific protocol.

TSA said that guns are "prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport and in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction."

TSA told CNN that all guns "must be packed properly as checked baggage and declared to the airline at the ticket counter."

TSA says that if people travelling by plane want to bring a gun, they must secure the firearm in checked baggage, unload it, and lock it in a hard-sided case. They must also declare the firearm to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter.

Furthermore, the TSA affirms that ammunition is not permitted in carry-on luggage. However, it may be transported in passengers' checked bags, but it cannot be loaded into the gun.

Passengers travelling with guns must follow all these rules, or they run the risk of a stiff fine or even arrest. So if you regularly carry firearms, be sure to keep them in mind!