TSA detects 10 firearms at RAP, surpassing 2022 total – Rapid City Journal

The Transportation Security Administration has intercepted 10 firearms at Rapid City Regional Airport so far this year, up from the 2022 total of seven.

Two loaded firearms were intercepted in separate incidents on Friday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 1. During the first three quarters of 2023, the TSA intercepted 5,072 firearms at airport security checkpoints nationwide, and at the current rate, the agency will surpass last year’s record 6,542.

In the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, Transportation Security Officers stopped 1,820 firearms at checkpoints. The total represents an average 19.8 firearms per day at TSA checkpoints, of which more than 94% were loaded.

“Passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be in their checked baggage,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms are only permitted in checked baggage, unloaded in a locked hard-sided case and must be declared to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport, or in the passenger cabin of an aircraft even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction.”

If a passenger brings a firearm to the TSA checkpoint, the TSO will contact local law enforcement to safely unload and take possession of the firearm. The law enforcement officer may also arrest or cite the passenger, depending on local law. TSA may impose a civil penalty up to almost $15,000, and passengers who present with a firearm at a security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck eligibility for five years.

TSA recommends that passengers pack a carry-on bag that is empty to ensure no firearms are unintentionally left in their travel bag.

To view the complete list of penalties, go to TSA.gov.