OHIO — Airports in Cleveland and Columbus saw increases in the detection of firearms at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in 2023.
At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) TSA officers stopped 38 handguns in 2023, which is higher than the 35 detected in 2022.
John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) intercepted 55 firearms in 2023, surpassing last year’s 40 that were detected.
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Nationwide, TSA officers stopped 6,737 firearms at security checkpoints. More than 90% of these firearms were loaded. In 2022, TSA stopped 6,542 firearms.
“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are and they know not to bring them to a checkpoint,” Ohio TSA Federal Security Director Don Barker said.
858 million individuals were screened in 2023, meaning 7.8 firearms were intercepted per million passengers nationwide.
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At CLE, TSA screened 5.3 million passengers and discovered 7.2 firearms per million passengers. That means they found one firearm per every 138,800 travelers.
At CMH of the 4.6 million people screened, there were 11.9 firearms per million passengers. That’s one firearm per every 83,798 passengers. That’s higher than the national average.
At Dayton International Airport, 8 firearms were found at TSA checkpoints in 2023, which is lower than the 13 that were found in 2022.
“We urge passengers to start with an empty bag so you know with certainty that there is nothing prohibited inside. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that passengers can easily avoid,” Barker said.
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