TSA raising fines after finding record guns in carry-ons

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with a firearm in their carry-on bag

By DEE-ANN DURBIN - AP Business Writer Dec 16, 2022 Updated Dec 16, 2022

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with a gun in their carry-on bag after intercepting a record number of firearms at security checkpoints this year.

The TSA said Friday it’s raising the maximum fine to $14,950. Previously it was $13,910.

TSA officers have found 6,301 firearms in carry-on bags so far this year, surpassing the previous record of 5,972 detected in 2021. The numbers have been increasing steadily over the last decade; in 2012, 1,549 firearms were detected at security checkpoints.

Eighty-eight percent of the guns found this year were loaded, the TSA said.

Firearm possession laws vary by location, but guns are never allowed in carry-on bags at any airport security checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed-weapon permit. Passengers transporting firearms must do so in a locked case in checked baggage. They also must declare them to the airline, the TSA said.

At a congressional hearing earlier this year, some lawmakers and airport administrators called for higher fines, gun safety classes for violators and other measures. They said the maximum fines were rarely imposed and clearly weren't working as a deterrent.

But other lawmakers said most of the passengers who get caught simply forgot they were carrying a gun, and higher fines won't stop that problem.

When the TSA finds a gun, it generally checks to see if it was stolen or involved in a previous crime. The agency may also confiscate the gun.

In addition to the fine __ an amount determined by the TSA based on the circumstances of each case __ the TSA will revoke PreCheck eligibility for at least five years for anyone caught with a gun at a security checkpoint. Passengers may also be arrested for a firearms violation depending on the state or local laws in the airport’s location.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Colion Noir commentary and flight prep system.
@ 9 minutes


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iHlP7GndrW8

Raising the fine to $50k probably won't change a thing, just stupid people, being stupid.

I also wonder what percentage off the fines actually get paid ?

I do misplace or forget things from time to time , but how does one inadvertently put a gun in their carry-on?

I carry a gun around 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and an automatic knife as well.

After coming close to accidentally carrying a knife on the plane years ago, I started a routine for when I go to the airport. I search myself when I get out of the car at airport parking, again just before I go in the door to the terminal and one last time just before I enter the security line for TSA.

When you carry all the time it just becomes second nature and you don't really notice you're carrying so you can forget.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
I do misplace or forget things from time to time , but how does one inadvertently put a gun in their carry-on?

It's really not that hard to understand. My carry-on is a backpack and a Tumi briefcase. I try not to use those two bags for anything but travel just so I don't accidentally leave something in there that might hang me up at the airport.

It's not hard to imagine someone using his backpack for a day outing and bringing along an extra pistol or revolver and putting it in there and just not unpacking it at the end of the day. Then that person maybe has a flight the next day or that week, uses his backpack, and forgets his pistol is in there. I say that because this very thing nearly happened to me.

quote:

The TSA said Friday it’s raising the maximum fine to $14,950. Previously it was $13,910.

Oh, yeah, that'll make a difference.

I don’t use travel bags for double duty. Guns never go into luggage. Range bags are range bags. If I take a gun traveling it go into very specific “gun” bags that I only use for guns.

Airline pilots are the worst at this. Cheap fuckers use one bag for everything. Scary thing is that lots of times they discover their mistake after the fact which means TSA failed again. TSA is some serious eye wash bullshit.

quote:

After coming close to accidentally carrying a knife on the plane years ago, I started a routine for when I go to the airport. I search myself when I get out of the car at airport parking, again just before I go in the door to the terminal and one last time just before I enter the security line for TSA.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Does that include a cavity search as well?

Clearly these are almost exclusively accidental in nature. Yes they are boneheads. Yes they made bonehead mistakes. But 6300 mistakes out of 71 million travelers is hardly epidemic. Raising the fine (and the full fine is rarely enforced) by $1000 makes virtually no difference. Ironically, tens of thousands of thefts by airport personnel occur every year- I wonder when they’ll jump all over that?

Bureaucrats, decisions by committee, and leftists get you what you see here. "Let's address the problem by adding a thousand bucks to a fine."

That's just brilliant.

I have a suggestion, but they wouldn't do it in a million years. Put up signs all over the airport: "STOP! Do you have any weapons on your person or in your baggage? Stop and think!"

They wouldn't even need to mention the penalties for being caught with a gun in your luggage. Anyone who has been conscious for the last twenty years knows the consequences.

Stick these signs in people's faces at every turn and this stuff will diminish. I'm not talking about those bland signs "noweaponsbeyondthispoint". I'm talking about big, colorful signs that could be missed only by the completely blind.

Or, next year, they can just tack another thou on the fine.

^^^^ That's literally what they did at Salt Lake City Airport. I probably see half a dozen signs before the security checkpoint reminding people to not go through security with a firearm. Big giant signs you can't miss.

If law abiding citizens could legally carry on planes, then 9/11 wouldn't have happened. Just sayin'

quote:

They said the maximum fines were rarely imposed and clearly weren't working as a deterrent.

So raising the maximum should change nothing.

The epitome of "JUST DO SOMETHING!!!".