Before you head to the airport, make sure you have your ID and your phone — and, the Transportation Security Administration advises, check your carry-on bag for any items that are a no-no at security checkpoints.
Last year, there was one firearm caught for every 67,797 people going through airport security checkpoints in Georgia, according to TSA. That’s about twice the national rate.
Passengers can travel with an unloaded gun if properly packed in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked bag and declared before flying at the airline check-in counter.
But firearms and ammunition are prohibited in carry-on bags.
At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, there were 440 guns caught at security checkpoints in 2024, the most of any airport in the country for the ninth straight year.
At airports across Georgia, there were 498 firearms caught at checkpoints, up from 496 last year.
While the number of guns caught at the Atlanta airport declined 2.4% year-over-year, there were a record 31 firearms caught at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and a record 17 firearms detected at Augusta Regional Airport last year.
“In almost every case, the excuse we get from passengers is, ‘Oops, I forgot,’” TSA spokesman Mark Howell said.
“Especially if you’re a gun owner … pay attention to what you’re doing before you come to the airport,” Howell said. “If you’re a firearm owner and you’re not planning to take your firearm, just know where it is before you leave your house. So do a quick double check of your personal belongings before you head to the airport.”
It’s not just travelers who are caught with weapons. Airport workers go through their own screening checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson, and there were firearms caught on 62 airport employees last year, according to the Atlanta Police Department and the airport.
Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, but because the majority of its passengers are connecting and don’t go through security in Atlanta, there are other airports with more passengers going through security checkpoints.
Last year, Los Angeles International and New York’s John F. Kennedy International each had more people going through security than Atlanta — but neither had nearly as many guns caught at checkpoints. California and New York have more restrictive gun laws than Georgia.
In Georgia, Republicans have passed a series of measures over the years that have loosened firearms restrictions.
In 2010, Georgia lawmakers passed a measure that allows licensed gun owners with a carry license to have a gun in unsecured areas of airport property.
In 2022, Georgia lawmakers approved a law that allows a “lawful weapons carrier” to carry a concealed handgun everywhere license holders currently are allowed. It is still illegal to carry guns in places where that is prohibited, such as secured areas of airports past security checkpoints.
Last year, Maj. Kelley Collier, who is the airport commander for Atlanta police, said those caught with unholstered, loaded guns would be charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor.
In addition to guns, TSA officers are also on the lookout for other weapons and prohibited items, including those that may be “artfully concealed.”
Last week, TSA released a video of its “Top 10 best catches” of prohibited items at airports around the country in 2024.
The items detected include marijuana in a jar of peanut butter, a utility knife hidden in a man’s shoe, disassembled gun parts hidden in a boot inside a Lego box, methamphetamines hidden in crutches, live snakes hidden in someone’s pants and a gun hidden in a stroller.
For more info on what items are prohibited to take through airport security checkpoints, go to TSA’s “What can I bring?” webpage.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
How to properly pack a gun for air travel
TSA says passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be:
- Secured in their checked baggage
- Packed unloaded
- Locked in a hard-sided case
- Declared to the airline when checking the bag at the airline ticket counter
Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints.
TSA warns that if you are caught with a firearm in your carry-on luggage, you could face criminal prosecution. Those who are members of TSA’s PreCheck trusted traveler program would lose PreCheck membership for five years and could face a civil penalty of up to $15,000.
TSA firearm discoveries at Georgia airports in 2024
- Hartsfield-Jackson, 440
- Savannah/Hilton Head, 31
- Augusta, 17
- Columbus, 3
- Valdosta, 3
- Brunswick, 2
- Albany, 1
- Macon, 1
Source: TSA
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