The TSA had its hands full with a haul of firearms at Chicago's airports in 2023, with agents seizing 122 guns — including a record number at Midway International Airport. At O'Hare, 72 firearms were stopped from breaching security, while Midway saw 50 firearm interventions, marking an all-time high for the airport, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Last year's count represents a slight decrease from 2022's combined Chicago airport total where 123 weapons were discovered — 85 at O'Hare and 30 at Midway. Nevertheless, the increase at Midway was notable, soaring past 2021's previous record of 42 handguns. Nationwide, a staggering 6,737 firearms were intercepted at airport checkpoints, the TSA reported a significant uptick for the agency.
"Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint," Brian Moses, acting Illinois TSA federal security director, commented on the seizures, "We urge passengers to start with an empty bag, so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside." Those who violate the rules could face stiff penalties including fines up to $15,000 and loss of TSA PreCheck privileges for up to five years, reported the Sun-Times.
Amid the TSA's security haul, it was also revealed that the occurrence of firearms at Chicago's airports was less frequent than the national average of 7.8 firearms per million passengers, WGNTV shared. Nevertheless, O'Hare retains its ranking as the third-busiest airport in terms of TSA security screenings. Passengers carrying firearms can legally check them in if appropriately packed and declared, but the laws governing possession of firearms vary by state, and locale, something weary travelers must be mindful of.
The uptick in seized firearms, according to Sheldon Howard Jacobson, a University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana professor and aviation security expert who spoke with the Sun-Times, could be attributed to more people traveling post-pandemic and technological advancements in security. Jacobson further highlighted that larger airports and those in states with lenient gun laws — including Atlanta Hartsfield, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston Bush Intercontinental, and Phoenix Sky Harbor — are often where most firearms are found. In cases, the weapons are legally registered to the owners, who "just forgot that it’s in their bag," Jacobson said.
