According to an annual report released by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), it confiscated 188 firearms from Nashville’s major airport in 2023, ranking among the top in the nation for such incidents.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) ranked fifth in the country for firearms confiscations, according to the report.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was top on the list, where 451 firearms were confiscated from travelers last year.
Second place was Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where 378 firearms were taken from passengers, followed by Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where 311 firearms were confiscated.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) placed fourth on the list, and 235 firearms were taken from passengers traveling through that airport last year.
“Nationwide, TSA officers detected 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023. It was a significant increase from the 6,542 detected in 2022,” the report said. “Of the guns caught in 2023, approximately 93 percent were loaded. Firearms were caught at 265 airport checkpoints nationwide.”
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said that Americans trying to bring firearms onto aircraft is a major problem.
“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” he said. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on baggage. Passengers are only allowed to travel with an unloaded firearm, and only if they pack it properly in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked baggage and first declare it to the airline at the check-in counter.”
Laws for the possession of firearms vary by state. TSA “advises travelers to familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure to ensure that they have the proper gun permits for the states that they are traveling to and from.”
In addition to facing potential criminal charges, TSA has the authority to fine passengers who attempt to carry a firearm through security up to $15,000. The government agency also has the authority to revoke a passenger’s TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years.
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Nashville International Airport Sign” by Nashville International Airport.