TSA Raising Fines After Finding Record Guns In Carry-Ons

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with a gun in their carry-on bag after intercepting a record number of firearms at security checkpoints this year.

The TSA said Friday it’s raising the maximum fine to $14,950. Previously it was $13,910.

TSA officers have found 6,301 firearms in carry-on bags so far this year, surpassing the previous record of 5,972 detected in 2021. The numbers have been increasing steadily over the last decade; in 2012, 1,549 firearms were detected at security checkpoints.

Eighty-eight percent of the guns found this year were loaded, the TSA said.

Firearm possession laws vary by location, but guns are never allowed in carry-on bags at any airport security checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed-weapon permit. Passengers transporting firearms must do so in a locked case in checked baggage. They also must declare them to the airline, the TSA said.

At a congressional hearing earlier this year, some lawmakers and airport administrators called for higher fines, gun safety classes for violators and other measures. They said the maximum fines were rarely imposed and clearly weren’t working as a deterrent.

But other lawmakers said most of the passengers who get caught simply forgot they were carrying a gun, and higher fines won’t stop that problem.

When the TSA finds a gun, it generally checks to see if it was stolen or involved in a previous crime. The agency may also confiscate the gun.

In addition to the fine __ an amount determined by the TSA based on the circumstances of each case __ the TSA will revoke PreCheck eligibility for at least five years for anyone caught with a gun at a security checkpoint. Passengers may also be arrested for a firearms violation depending on the state or local laws in the airport’s location.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Travelore News: TSA Increasing Fees For Fliers Starting July 21

By Linda Loyd, Inquirer Staff Writer

Travelers may soon pay more for a plane ticket because the Transportation Security Administration is raising the passenger security fee at U.S. airports.

Fliers currently pay $2.50 for each leg of a connecting flight, capped at $5 per one-way trip. Starting July 21, the fee will jump to a flat $5.60 per one-way trip. The $5 cap on one-way travel will disappear.

Congress approved the higher fees as part of the bipartisan budget act approved in December. The money will go to the general fund of the U.S. Treasury to be used to offset TSA costs for providing aviation security and to reduce the federal deficit.

The security fee has been built into airfares since the TSA was created after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Passengers buying plane tickets before July 21 won't have to pay the higher fees, no matter when they fly.

Separately, the TSA announced Sunday that travelers at more than a dozen airports in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East with direct flights to the United States will be asked to power up their electronic devices, including cellphones, during airport screening.

Devices that do not turn on will not be permitted on the aircraft.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told NBC's Meet the Presson July 6: "Our job is to try to anticipate the next attack, not simply react to the last one. We continually evaluate the world situation. And we know that there remains a terrorist threat to the United States. And aviation security is a large part of that."

Johnson added: "We in national security are very concerned about the foreign fighter flow going into Syria in particular from the United States, from European countries, other countries, and we're tracking that population. There are extremists within the borders of Syria. . . . We spend a lot of time talking to our foreign allies."

Based on the new electronics checks, the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom said passengers using British airports had been told that all electronic devices must be charged. The department declined to say which flights in and out of the United Kingdom would be subject to the new security checks, hoping the uncertainty would deter terrorists.

Certain passengers flying within the United States may also be asked to turn on their electronics at U.S. airports, said a person knowledgeable about the TSA plans. "It's only for a select number of people, who are already required, when they travel, to receive more extensive security screening," he said. "The focus is on international cities to the United States."

The move comes in response to intelligence reports that al-Qaeda members in Syria and Yemen may have developed bombs that can be hidden in mobile phones, with a view to bringing down U.S.-bound planes.

"It's important that the TSA stay ahead of terrorists who are planning new attacks," said Paul Hudson, executive director of FlyersRights, a passengers' rights organization.

Still, Hudson said the TSA provided "no real accounting" to justify the higher screening fee. Improved technology and expedited traveler programs, such as TSA precheck, "would presumably require less personnel and equipment," he said. "I think it's probably not justified to double the fee."

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lloyd@phillynews.com

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