Fewer firearms seized at NC security checkpoints; most at RDU and Charlotte

Fewer firearms were found in carry-on luggage last year at North Carolina airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

TSA officers discovered 236 firearms at N.C. airports in 2023, down from 250 found in 2022.

The most firearms were found at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (124), followed by Raleigh-Durham International Airport (76) and Piedmont Triad International Airport (15).

The three airports are the largest in the state.

Although fewer guns were seized overall this year, more firearms are seized in North Carolina than the national average. Nationwide, a firearm was detected for every 127,447 passengers screened. In North Carolina, one firearm discovered for every 98,182 passengers screened, according to the TSA.

No firearms have been seized in at least the last five years at Pitt-Greenville Airport's security checkpoint, according to the TSA.

Can you bring a gun on a plane?

Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage.

At the airport during the check-in process, a passenger needs to go to the airline ticket counter to declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts.