WASHINGTON, DC (WAVY) – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says its officers have stopped a record number of handguns at Virginia airport security checkpoints in 2022.
According to a press release, TSA stopped 118 guns at Virginia airport security checkpoints last year. This is a 20 percent increase from the 98 guns confiscated in 2021.
Firearms caught by TSA officers at airport checkpoints in Virginia, 2016 to 2022
Airport | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) | 19 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 30 | 29 |
Norfolk International Airport (ORF) | 14 | 10 | 21 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 27 |
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) | 24 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 7 | 19 | 25 |
Richmond International Airport (RIC) | 10 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 22 | 20 | 24 |
Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport (CHO) | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Newport News-Williamsburg Regional Airport (PHF) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 79 | 71 | 82 | 74 | 55 | 98 | 118 |
As listed in the table above, 27 firearms were caught at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in 2022 compared to 23 in 2021. In 2022, only one gun was caught by TSA at Newport News-Williamsburg Regional Airport (PHF) compared to none being stopped by TSA in 2021.
TSA detected 6,542 guns at airport security checkpoints nationwide last year. Of those guns, 88 percent of them were loaded.