NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that 158 firearms were discovered in travelers’ carry-on luggage in Tennessee in the first six months of 2024.
Ten firearms were detected in McGhee Tyson Airport in the first half of the year. In 2023, 9 were detected from Jan. 1 to June 30, the TSA said.
The administration said officers found 99 guns at Nashville International Airport in the first half of the year.
TSA said it screened approximately eight million departing travelers so far at Tennessee airports, a 6.9% increase over the 2023 midyear total.
Nationwide, 3,269 firearms have been discovered in 2024 so far—one per every 135,560 passengers screened. In Tennessee, the rate is more than two times that with one firearm found for every 51,188 passengers screened, according to the TSA.
