What happens to guns/weapons found in carry-on bags left behind? (2024)

FAQs

What happens to guns/weapons found in carry-on bags left behind? ›

All weapons detected in carry-on bags are turned over to local law enforcement authorities. What happens to items left at security checkpoints? Is there a process? TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left behind at the airport checkpoint.

If the TSA finds a weapon in your bag, they will notify police and you will be arrested and taken to jail.

When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSOs immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the passenger. TSA does not confiscate firearms.

Under federal law, the TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,000 for weapons violations. Typically, a first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900. First and foremost, don't put the firearm in your carry-on.

Packing Firearms

Before checking in, you must declare at the check-in or ticket counter that you have a firearm inside your check-in baggage. If you do not declare, you can be prosecuted under federal and state laws.

Airport security staff tend to be very strict when removing dangerous items from luggage, with good reason. For example, TSA guidance is very clear: If prohibited items are found during security checks, they won't be returned to their owners.

Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks.

“The rate of passengers with firearms during the most recent quarter was 7.5 firearms per one million passengers, which is a slight decrease from the same period in 2023, when the rate of discovery was 7.9 per one million passengers,” officials noted.

Backscatter passenger scanners are used to detect threats such as weapons or explosives that a person could be carrying under their clothing. Backscatter machines use very low energy x-rays that are reflected back to the machine itself.

The scanners use "backscatter" or "millimeter wave" radiation to see through your clothes. A TSA agent in another room will see an image of your body that could include a revealing look at your entire body, including breasts, genitals, buttocks, and external medical devices.

What happens if I don't pay TSA fine? ›

If you fail to respond to the final notice within 15 days of receipt, TSA will then assess against you the full civil penalty amount proposed in your NOV, and may refer this matter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury or to the U.S. Department of Justice for collection of this debt owed to the U.S. government.

The TSA restricts the types of materials people can bring to the airport, such as guns, knives, or other items the TSA deems dangerous. If you accidentally bring a weapon or incendiary device to the airport, the TSA may instigate civil action against you, including charging you with hefty civil penalties.

Inadvertent gun discharges can still sometimes occur with holsters — if something gets stuck inside and interferes with the trigger, for instance. In general, though, holsters are designed to protect against these concealed carry accidents.

If the lighter is in your checked luggage, your name will be called over the airport PA system. You will be directed to where your suitcase is being held, and you will be asked to open it for inspection. A security officer will examine the contents of your luggage, and they can remove any items they deem a risk.

This means if you're going to travel with a firearm, it must be in a hard-sided case that you can lock. If the gun case you happen to be securing your firearm in is small enough to fit inside a larger, soft-sided checked bag, just make sure you declare it at the ticket counter.

As a result, prohibited items may result in both a TSA civil enforcement action and a criminal enforcement action. Before leaving home, remember to check your baggage to ensure you are not carrying any prohibited items to avoid a possible arrest and/or civil penalties.

Can my bags or I be searched after going through metal detectors with no problem or after security sees that my bags do not contain a weapon? Yes. Even if the initial screening of your bags by TSA reveals nothing suspicious, the screeners have the authority to conduct a further search of you or your bags.

The Transportation Security Administration says it found a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2023. A total of 6,737 were intercepted — or an average of 18 firearms per day — 93% of which which were loaded, the agency says. The number surpassed 2022's record of 6,542 firearms found.

Lost and found items retained by TSA for a minimum of thirty (30) days, and if not claimed, are either destroyed, turned over to a state agency for surplus property, or sold by TSA as excess property. The state may dispose of the items through sales, destruction, donations or charities.