30 loaded guns detected this year at RDU security checkpoints, TSA says

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reminding travelers you can't take guns through security checkpoints after a high number of weapons were reported at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Between January and April, TSA agents discovered 33 firearms coming through RDU's security lines, the most during that period in the last four years.

TSA officers told WRAL News 32 of the 33 guns seized in the first months of 2024 were loaded, adding another safety concern.

Daniel Velez, a spokesperson for the TSA, said an increase in foot traffic through the airport could be one factor for why agents are seeing more guns. He wants to remind people you can travel with a firearm.

"We are having an influx of passengers," Velez said. "Our numbers are going up. We're screening more and more people than we ever have. This summer is going to be crazy throughout the country, and here at RDU, we're going to be screening tons of passengers, so we're trying to get the word out that you can travel with a firearm, you just have to do it the right way."

From 2021 to 2023, the number of people passing through TSA has gone up more than 60%, but the number of guns found dropped by nearly 7%. That increase in traffic, Velez said, increases the possibility of people having guns on them.

To travel with a firearm, pack it in checked baggage, unloaded, in a hard-sided container and declare it at the ticket counter before you get to the TSA checkpoints.

People caught bringing a weapon through the security checkpoint face a fine of $3,000 and possible jail time.

According to the TSA, firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage but may be transported in checked baggage.

Replica firearms, including firearm replicas that are toys, may be transported in checked baggage only.

Travelers who spoke with WRAL News on Thursday were baffled people would bring weapons through security.

"You’d have to be living on another planet if you think you could get a gun through there," Tom Boone told WRAL News. "Why would you want to?"

"That’s not smart," agreed Mike Painter from Missouri. "Bringing a firearm to a public place like this, especially a federally-controlled place, absolutely not."