This Derringer-style pistol was confiscated April 3, 2024, by Transportation Security Administration screeners at the West Virginia International Yeager Airport, in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
Transportation Security Administration officers intercepted 10 handguns at West Virginia airport security checkpoints in 2024 — five fewer than were stopped in 2023.
This Derringer-style pistol was confiscated April 3, 2024, by Transportation Security Administration screeners at the West Virginia International Yeager Airport, in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
Courtesy photo
The statewide decrease mirrored a nationwide drop in TSA handgun interceptions in 2024, when 6,678 turned up at 277 screening stations at airports across the country, compared to 6,737 the previous year. A record-high 18 handguns were intercepted by TSA officers at West Virginia airports in 2019.
Guns intercepted by TSA at West Virginia airports, 2019-24
Shown here are details on weapons intercepted by Transportation Security Administration screeners at West Virginia airports from 2019-2024.
Airport
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
WV Int'l Yeager, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä
7
4
6
6
9
6
Tri-State, Huntington
9
4
3
2
3
3
Raleigh County Memorial
1
0
0
1
2
0
North Central WV, Clarksburg
1
0
0
0
1
0
Morgantown Municipal
0
0
0
0
0
0
Mid-Ohio Valley Regional, Parkersburg
0
0
0
0
0
1
Totals
18
8
9
9
15
10
Reaction to weapon interceptions
“Our officers are to be commended for their continued vigilance in ensuring that no prohibited or illegal items are carried onto a flight,†said John C. Allen, the TSA’s security director for West Virginia.
This Glock handgun was confiscated Aug. 8, 2024, by Transportation Security Administration screeners at the Tri-State Airport, in Huntington.
Courtesy photo
At the same time, Allen said, “it is disappointing to continue to see individuals bringing their firearms to our security checkpoints. The majority of people claim that they forgot that they had their guns with them. It is careless and irresponsible to not know where your gun is. Responsible gun owners know where their gun is at all times, and they know not to bring it to an airport checkpoint.â€
In 2024, four Texas airports were among the nation’s Top 10 for TSA checkpoint handgun interceptions:
440: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta
390: Dallas-Fort Worth International
272: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston
247: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
188: Nashville International Airport
116: Denver International Airport
150: Orlando International Airport
135: Tampa International Airport
126: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, Texas
123: Dallas Love Field Airport
West Virginia state code authorizes penalties ranging from $50 to $500, plus a possible 30 days jail time, following magistrate court hearings for first-time offenders with no criminal intent. Violators also are subject to an additional $3,500 to $10,700 in federal civil penalties for first-time offenses, and $10,700 to $14,950 for multiple offenses, along with possible additional criminal penalties.
West Virginia International Yeager Airport Police Chief Eric Johnson said that, in his 7 1/2 years at the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä airport, none of the passengers who were found to be carrying handguns in their carry-on items or on their persons were believed to have deliberately done so.
Guns confiscated by screeners are checked in the National Crime Identification System, to see if they are known to have been involved in any crimes, and the FBI is notified about passengers carrying guns that have been intercepted by TSA screeners, Johnson said.
A 9mm in a box of LEGOS
Among the most unusual finds at TSA security checkpoints during the past year, according to the agency, was a dissembled but fully functional 9mm pistol, with a loaded 12-round magazine, found in a LEGO-set box at Newark’s Liberty International Airport; a loaded handgun enclosed in a baby stroller’s rear pocket at Houston’s Hobby International Airport; and a bag of live snakes found in a passenger’s pants at Miami International Airport.
But there’s a legal way
Travelers with proper firearms permits may travel legally with their firearms if the unloaded firearms are placed in locked, hard-sided containers and transported as checked baggage, after being declared to the ticket/baggage agent.
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