TSA: 107 Firearms found in carry-on bags at Kentucky airports in 2024

HEBRON, Ky., (KBSI) — Transportation Security Administration officers at Kentucky airports discovered 107 firearms in carry-on luggage in 2024, a decrease of more than 10% from the previous year.

The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport led the state with 46 firearms detected at checkpoints in 2024.

Nationwide, TSA officers found 6,678 firearms in carry-on bags in 2024, a slight decrease from 2023. Firearms were detected in carry-on bags at a rate of one per 135,384 passengers screened.

In Kentucky, the rate was higher, with one firearm discovered for every 81,391 passengers screened.

TSA reminds passengers that firearms can only be transported in checked baggage, unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case. Replica firearms are also prohibited in carry-on bags.

Passengers found with firearms at security checkpoints face civil penalties of up to $14,950 and may have their TSA Precheck eligibility revoked.