Annual TSA firearm detections at U.S. airport security checkpoints from 2005 through 2024, including total interceptions and average daily counts. TSA has not yet published a complete national total for 2025.
National TSA checkpoint detections by calendar year
Annual total divided by 365 or 366 calendar days
TSA screening officers detected 660 firearms in 2005, equal to about 1.81 per day. By 2024, the annual total had risen to 6,678, or 18.25 per day. The 2024 count was more than ten times the 2005 total.
The series reached a record 6,737 detections in 2023 before easing slightly in 2024. The most pronounced interruption occurred in 2020, when the total fell alongside the pandemic-related collapse in passenger traffic, then rebounded sharply in 2021.
These figures represent firearms detected by TSA screening personnel at U.S. airport security checkpoints. They do not measure all firearms brought onto airport property, firearms found outside checkpoints, or enforcement actions by other agencies.
Average daily figures use the number of calendar days in each year, including 366 days in leap years. Flightline does not estimate a 2025 value because TSA has not released a complete national annual total.
TSA has not published a complete national firearm-interception total for calendar year 2025. The charts therefore end with the latest complete annual figure available, 2024. No estimate or extrapolation has been inserted.
Totals and calculated daily averages
| Year | Firearms Detected | Average Per Day | Calendar Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 660 | 1.81 | 365 |
| 2006 | 821 | 2.25 | 365 |
| 2007 | 803 | 2.20 | 365 |
| 2008 | 926 | 2.53 | 366 |
| 2009 | 976 | 2.67 | 365 |
| 2010 | 1,123 | 3.08 | 365 |
| 2011 | 1,320 | 3.62 | 365 |
| 2012 | 1,556 | 4.25 | 366 |
| 2013 | 1,813 | 4.97 | 365 |
| 2014 | 2,212 | 6.06 | 365 |
| 2015 | 2,653 | 7.27 | 365 |
| 2016 | 3,391 | 9.27 | 366 |
| 2017 | 3,957 | 10.84 | 365 |
| 2018 | 4,244 | 11.63 | 365 |
| 2019 | 4,432 | 12.14 | 365 |
| 2020 | 3,257 | 8.90 | 366 |
| 2021 | 5,972 | 16.36 | 365 |
| 2022 | 6,542 | 17.92 | 365 |
| 2023 | 6,737 | 18.46 | 365 |
| 2024 | 6,678 | 18.25 | 366 |
