Another handgun was intercepted by the TSA at Des Moines Airport; the 8th incident this year

DES MOINES, IOWA — Not even halfway through 2024, and TSA officers at Des Moines International Airport have already intercepted more firearms at their checkpoints than in all of 2023. This week, the eighth firearm of the year was discovered in Des Moines before it could be taken onto a plane.

According to the TSA, a TSA officer found the gun during baggage screening around 10 a.m. Friday. Des Moines police were called, the gun was confiscated, and the traveler was issued a citation. The gun was loaded with 14 rounds, but none were in the chamber.

Travelers in Des Moines are part of a growing nationwide problem. The TSA reports that 1,500 firearms were confiscated at U.S. airports in the first quarter of 2024.

The TSA is once again reminding travelers that they are not allowed to bring handguns onto an airplane. Unloaded firearms can be declared and checked. “Bringing a firearm to a security checkpoint not only slows down the people in that line, but also everyone in the line behind them and is a security risk. Guns should never be brought into a security checkpoint in carry-on baggage,” said John Bright, federal security director for the Iowa TSA, in a press release.