TSA Makes 'Troubling' Announcement After Firearm Discovery
On Tuesday, May 20 the Transportation Security Administration made a pair of troubling announcements regarding discoveries at different airports.
At Fort Wayne International Airport, TSA officers stopped a firearm from making its way onboard an airplane. This was the seventh firearm detected at FWA so far this year. Seven firearms were also detected in total in 2024.
“It’s troubling that TSA officers this year have already stopped the same number of firearms as they did in all of 2024, and the year isn’t even halfway over,” Indiana TSA Federal Security Director Aaron Batt said in a statement. “As we look ahead to our summer travel season, we strongly encourage passengers to pack smart and start with an empty bag. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, expensive mistake that increases risks to passengers and airport employees.”
That wasn't the only bad news from the TSA, though - and not the only bad news from the state of Indiana.
According to a statement from the TSA, officers at Indianapolis International Airport discovered four firearms at security checkpoints in separate incidents over five days, bringing the total detected at the airport to 18 this year.
“While we’re pleased that overall this year, passengers are bringing fewer firearms to IND checkpoints, these recent incidents are troubling,” Batt added in a second statement. “As we look ahead to our summer travel season, we strongly encourage passengers to pack smart and start with an empty bag. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, expensive mistake that increases risks to passengers and airport employees.”
The troubling news comes just days before a record number of Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day.
According to a projection from AAA, 45.1 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26. The projection from AAA is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year and breaks the previous record of 44 million people set back in 2005.
“Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly,” Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel said in a statement. “While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.”