Firearms detected at Tennessee airports decreases in 2023

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The TSA said there was a decrease in firearm detection at Tennessee airports in 2023.

Statewide, there was a 14% decrease in firearms detected in carry-on luggage from 2022. There were 313 detections of guns in 2023 across Tennessee.

In 2023, the TSA found 18 firearms in carry-ons at the Chattanooga Airport. That number dropped from 30 in 2022.

However, there were many more found in Nashville.

The Nashville International Airport detected 188 firearms in 2023, which did drop from 213 in 2022.

McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville had detections slightly higher than Chattanooga. They detected 32 firearms in 2022 and 27 in 2023.

Though there was a decrease, Tennessee airports had 2.5 times the national rate of firearms per passengers screened.

When TSA detects a firearm on an X-ray screen in a carry-on, they notify the airport law enforcement agency. They then remove the firearm and contact the traveler. The local airport law enforcement agency then determines what happens to the gun and the traveler.

There is the potential of a traveler being arrested or facing civil penalties for bringing a gun to the security checkpoint. Penalties can reach up to $15,000 per violation.

Travelers can transport a firearm on an airplane if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage.