Denver airport in top 10 for firearms intercepted at security checkpoints

TSA said 2023 set an all-time record for firearms intercepted at airports nationwide

The Transportation Security Administration intercepted 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023, and Denver International Airport had one of the highest numbers among airports nationwide.

2023’s nationwide total surpasses the previous year’s record of 6,542 firearms stopped at checkpoints, according to a release.

TSA said nearly 93% of the guns found were loaded.

“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,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “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.”

TSA agents intercepted 178 guns at DIA in 2023. That’s the sixth-highest total in the country.

Here are the top 10:

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 451

2. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: 378

3. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston): 311

4. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: 235

5. Nashville International Airport: 188

6. Denver International Airport: 178

7. Orlando International Airport: 164

8. Tampa International Airport: 144

9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 135

10. Dallas Love Field Airport: 125

When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA agents immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the gun from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the passenger. TSA does not confiscate firearms.

In addition to any action taken by law enforcement, TSA fines passengers up to $15,000 if they bring a firearm to a checkpoint.

More information about how to properly travel with a firearm is available here.

For more on this story, and others, visit The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9NEWS.com.