Record Number of Firearms Found at BWI Airport So Far In 2017

HANOVER, MD — Authorities seized a record-setting number of firearms from passengers who traveled via Baltimore Washington International Airport in 2016, and the airport is on pace, so far in 2017, to surpass that benchmark. Transportation Security Administration officers detected 24 firearms at BWI checkpoints in 2016, up significantly from the 16 detected in 2015: a 62 percent increase, authorities said.

A Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, man arrested May 12 at by TSA officers for allegedly carrying a handgun at a security checkpoint was found to have an unloaded 9 mm handgun in his carry-on bag alongside a magazine that was loaded with six bullets.

That most recent arrest marked the 14th firearm that TSA officers have caught at BWI Airport so far in 2017, said Lisa Farbstein with the TSA Office of Public Affairs. So with six weeks left in the first half of the year, the airport is ahead of the pace to top the 2016 a total of 24 firearms detected at the airport’s checkpoints.

The top five airports where TSA officers detected guns at checkpoints in 2016 were: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International with 198; Dallas/Fort Worth International with 192; George Bush Intercontinental at Houston with 128; Phoenix Sky Harbor International with 101; and Denver International with 98. These same airports were in the top five for guns at checkpoints in 2014 and 2015.

Authorities pointed out that firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passenger who try to transport firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and up to $12,000 in civil penalties.

TSA officers screened more than 738 million passengers nationwide in 2016, or 43 million more passengers than in 2015.

In total, 3,391 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging approximately nine firearms per day, about a 28 percent increase in firearm discoveries from the total of 2,653 in 2015. That's a record number of firearms seized. Eighty-three percent of the guns caught in 2016 were loaded.

What is the proper procedure for transporting firearms on flights?

Firearms are never permitted in carry-on bags. Firearms are permitted in checked bags if the following requirements are met:

• They are declared to the airline in advance.
• They are unloaded and properly packed.
• The carrier possesses the necessary permits.

Firearms carried as checked baggage must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in. Read the guidelines.

Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on, but may be transported in checked baggage.

Passengers should check with their airline if ammunition is permitted in checked baggage. Small arms ammunitions for personal use must be packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ask about limitations or fees.

More information on how to travel with a firearm can be found on the TSA's website.
»Patch file photo of BWI Airport