More People Exercis Right to Bear Arms: More People Caught with Firearms at TSA Checkpoints

 

 

As more and more people have been exercising their right to bear arms in the United States, the number of people who forget they have a firearm in their carry-on luggage has been steadily increasing.  The number of firearms caught at TSA checkpoints is shown in the chart above.

The number of people with carry permits has grown rapidly in the last decade, as have the number of states which do not require a permit to carry a concealed  firearm. The legal system is known as Constitutional Carry or permitless carry.

In 2011, there were  6.06 thousand permits holders for every firearm discovered at a TSA check point. Three states had Constitutional carry.

In 2014 there were  5.26 thousand permit holders for every firearm discovered at a TSA check point.  Five states had Constitutional Carry

In 2018, there were  4.08 thousand permit holders for every firearm discovered  at a TSA checkpoint.  Thirteen states had Constitutional Carry

In 2022 there were  3.49 thousand permit holders for every firearm discovered  at a TSA check point.  Twenty-four states had Constitutional Carry. Alabama will become a Constitutional Carry state in January, 2023.

This graphic shows the growth in Constitutional Carry (permitless carry) (green) states.

As more and more people are exercising their right to bear arms, more and more of them are making the error of forgetting they had their firearms in the luggage they intended to carry on an airplane. The vast majority of people who make this error do so inadvertently.  TSA discovers about 10 undeclared firearms for every million passengers screened, as shown in the numbers from 2021.

TSA has been increasing the maximum civil penalty over the years. On December 16, 2022, it was raised from $13,910, to 14,950, or 7%. In 2018, the maximum penalty was $13,000. In four years the maximum civil penalty has increased 15%. From TSA press release December 16, 2022:

 Firearm possession laws vary by state and local government, but firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags at any TSA security checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed weapon permit. In order to reduce the threat of firearms at checkpoints, TSA has increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950. TSA determines the penalty amount for a violation based on the circumstances in each case. TSA will continue to revoke TSA PreCheck® eligibility for at least five years for passengers caught with a firearm in their possession. TSA may conduct enhanced screening for those passengers to ensure no other threats are present. Depending on state or local law in the airport's location, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint may be arrested by law enforcement.

The penalty which will apply depends on a number of factors, such as whether this was the first offense, or if the firearm were loaded. Here is the  Table of Ranges of Civil Penalties for TSA for individuals, among others:

(3) Violations Committed by All Other Entities Including, but Not Limited to Airport Operators, Indirect Air Carrier, CCSFs, Individuals, Contractors, Small Businesses, etc.

Maximum $11,290-$14,950

Moderate $5,900-$11,290

Minimum $1,450-$5,900

People are not perfect. When you have well over 22 million people who legally carry firearms, some are going to get busy and make mistakes. Some will leave a firearm in luggage and forget to take it out in the rush to the airport, as they are delayed for an unexpected reason.

As the number of people exercising the right to bear arms increases, the number who make mistakes and bring a firearm to TSA checkpoints also increases.

 ©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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