TSA finds record number of guns at Idaho airports in 2024

Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)
TWIN FALLS, Idaho – The Transportation Security Administration delivered some advice last week to would-be air passengers : leave your guns at home.
And your sledgehammer. And your knives. And your ammunition magazines.
Those were just some of the items listed by the federal security agency Jan. 8 that Idahoans stashed in their carry-on luggage in the past year.
During a news conference at the Boise Airport, the agency reported the top-10 restricted items discovered at five Idaho airports in the last year.
Those items included AR-15 rifle magazines, a large hunting knife, a Bowie knife, live ammunition, a sledgehammer, a handsaw and numerous firearms of all types, including a nonoperational 3D -printed Glock.
The agency said it found a record 64 firearms at Idaho’s six airports in 2024. The agency reported it discovered 49 firearms – up from 42 found in 2023 – at the Boise Airport in 2024.
“These things happen. People are forgetful,” said Bill Carberry, manager of Joslyn Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport. “The TSA does a good job, and they are just trying to make people more aware.”
According to a press release by the federal agency, “when a TSA officer discovers a prohibited item in carry-on luggage, they offer the traveler the opportunity to place that item in checked luggage, turn it over to a nontraveling family member or friend or return it to their vehicle if it’s parked nearby.”
The restricted items were uncovered during routine X-ray screening at airport security checkpoints.
When a Transportation Security Administration officer spots an image of a gun on an X-ray, airport security is called to the security checkpoint.
According to the federal agency news release, “a law enforcement officer removes the firearm from the X-ray tunnel and contacts the traveler. What happens to the firearm and the traveler is up to the discretion of the airport law enforcement agency.”
The discovery of restricted items at the Magic Valley Regional Airport is rare, Carberry said. The agency listed only one incident in July 2024 involving a double-edged knife at the local airport.
“For the most part, folks are good about it,” Carberry said. “But across the system, they are finding some of these occasions with guns seem to be creeping up.”
A firearm discovered in carry-on luggage can trigger criminal citations, and the federal security agency can levy a fine of up to $14,950.
According to the TSA, “even if a traveler has a concealed weapons permit, firearms are not permitted in carry-on.”
Lori Dankers, a TSA spokesperson, said her best tip for potential airline passengers is to “unpack your bag before you pack it for your airline trip.”
“People bring things and don’t plan ahead,” she said. “They don’t check what might or might not be allowed.”
The easiest way to check, said Dankers, is to go online to tsa.gov and click on the icon labeled “What can I bring” in the upper right corner of the website.
Carberry said he’s pleased the federal agency highlighted the top-10 restricted items found at Idaho airports.
“It is a message and a reminder and there is value to do that,” he said.
Carberry said the Twin Falls airport schedules two flights a day, or about 100 people, who generally fly to a major airline hub such as Salt Lake City.
People should be prepared as they pack for a flight, he said.
“Be present, be mindful and remember you are entering into the national transportation system.”