TSA confiscated 22 guns in carry-on luggage in 1st half of 2023 at Louisville's airport

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Twenty-two guns were confiscated from carry-on luggage in the first half of 2023 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in news release Thursday.

When you combine that number with those at other Kentucky airports, TSA officers found 51 guns in carry-on bags during the first six months of the year. In the first half of 2022, SDF had 20 confiscations, and all Kentucky airports had 48.

The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport also saw 22 guns found in the first half of this year. Compared to airports nationwide, it's a small amount of confiscations. Atlanta's airport saw 448 in 2022, and the 10th-highest number last year was in Tampa with 131.

There are potential criminal citations and civil penalties involved in these cases, and the TSA said the severity depends on whether the gun was loaded and whether there was also accessible ammunition included in the luggage.

The civil penalty could total $15,000, the TSA said.

TSA officials reminded passengers who want to travel with a gun that they must ensure it's properly packed in checked baggage.

For more information on what you can and cannot bring through a TSA checkpoint, click here.