Orlando International at top of list
Of the 21 Florida airports where Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel screen passengers, Sarasota Bradenton International (SRQ) came in eighth in the first half of this year for the number of firearm discoveries in passengers’ carry-on luggage, the federal agency has announced.
However, the total for SRQ was just eight, TSA reports. That compares to 70 at Orlando International (MCO), which was at the top of the TSA list.
Through the first six months of 2023, the report notes, 14 firearms were found in carry-on luggage at SRQ. The comparable figure for Orlando was 69.
For the first six months of this year, SRQ recorded 1,450,697 passengers, the report points out. For the comparable period of 2023, the figure was 1,327,340.
For all of 2022, a TSA report says, SRQ was ranked 10 on the Florida list, with 20 weapons discovered. It tied that year with St. Pete-Clearwater International, the Pensacola News Journal reported in February 2023.
For Orlando, the first six months of 2023 saw a passenger tally of 14,930,657, the report says. For the same period in 2023, the count was 14,141,714.
In fact, in 2023, Orlando was ranked No. 7 in the Top 10 list nationwide for guns found at TSA checkpoints nationwide, the agency reported. The total was 164. Tampa International was No. 8 on that national list, with 144, followed by Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International with 135.
A TSA graphic for 2022 points out that 162 firearms were found at Orlando International. For Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, the count was 134, and for Tampa International, the figure was 131. All three of those airports were in the Top 10 list for the United States in 2022.
Altogether, the latest report points out, TSA “officers at Florida airports discovered a total of 382 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage in the first half of 2024, down from the total of 396 found during the same period last year.”
The other Florida airports in the top 10 for firearms discovered from January through June of this year are as follows:
- 2. Miami International — 62, more than double the count of 30 in the same period of 2023.
- 3. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International — 50 for the first half of 2024; 70, for the same period of 2023.
- 4. Tampa International — 51 from January through June; 67 for the same period of 2023.
- 5. Southwest Florida International (RSW) in Lee County — 20 for the first half of 2024; 22, for the same six months of 2023.
- 6. Palm Beach International — 22 from January through June of this year; 16, for the first six months of 2023.
- 7. Jacksonville — 27 for the first six months of 2024; 36, for the same period of 2023.
- 9. Pensacola International — 14 from January through June of this year; 15, for the first six months of 2023.
- 10. Orlando Sanford International (SFB) — four for the first six months of this year; six for the same period of 2023.
The TSA list shows no firearms were discovered at Vero Beach Regional Airport from January through June. That was unchanged for the same period of 2023.
The list does include Lakeland Linder International Airport in Polk County. However, the TSA points out that its screening operations at that facility did not begin until June 13 of this year. No firearms were discovered from that date through the end of the month, the report says.
The report further notes that for the first six months of this year, “TSA screened approximately 60.85 million departing travelers at Florida airports, an increase of more than 7.5 percent over the 2023 total.”
“Nationwide,” the report adds, “a firearm was detected for every 135,560 passengers screened [during the first six months of this year]. In Florida, the rate was lower,” the report says, with one firearm discovered for every 159,318 passengers screened.
“Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage,” the TSA explains in the report. “Any type of replica firearm is prohibited in carry-on baggage and must be transported in checked luggage.”
The TSA further notes, “At the airport during the check-in process, a passenger needs to go to the airline ticket counter to declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts. Prior to traveling, passengers are encouraged to check gun laws and regulations at their destination to ensure they are in compliance with local and state laws. TSA also recommends travelers check with their airline prior to their flight to ensure they comply with any airline-specific requirements.”
TSA does provide “additional traveler information specifically related to the transportation of firearms and ammunition,” the report adds. A full summary of TSA’s civil penalties for prohibited items is available, as well.