HARRISBURG, Pa. — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a total of eight passengers from boarding flights with guns in their carry-on luggage at Harrisburg International Airport last year, down slightly from the 10 such incidents reported in 2022, the administration said this week.
TSA officers made 103 total stops at security checkpoints in Pennsylvania's airports overall last year -- a notable spike from the 82 guns found in 2022, the TSA said.
According to the TSA, HIA ranked third among Pennsylvania's eight largest airports for gun security checkpoint incidents last year.
The release continued to state that Philadelphia International Airport reported a record 45 security checkpoint incidents involving guns in 2023, while Pittsburgh International Airport had a record number of 43 guns detected.
Philadelphia's previous record was 44 (set in 2022), while Pittsburgh's mark was 35, set in 2019, the TSA said.
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.
Of the guns caught in 2023, approximately 93 percent were loaded. Firearms were caught at 265 airport checkpoints nationwide.
