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The number of weapons captured by TSA at the Milwaukee airport is down for a third year

Sixteen firearms were intercepted by Transportation Security Administration officials at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport security checkpoints in 2024, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

That marks the third year in a row that the number of weapons captured at MKE, Wisconsin’s largest airport, has decreased.

More: Flights canceled and delayed at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year

“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that can easily be avoided,” Mark Lendvay, federal security director for the Wisconsin TSA, said in the statement. “When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they introduce a risk to everyone in the area.

“These incidents also slow down the screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in the lane comes to a complete halt until police arrive. Unloaded firearms may be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline.”

In 2023, 19 guns were found at MKE security checkpoints, and 21 were seized in 2022. In 2021, 23 firearms were seized at MKE security checkpoints.

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More: Traveling from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport for spring break? Here’s how to best do this

How many people will TSA screen at Wisconsin airports in 2024?

At MKE, TSA will have screened nearly 3.6 million departing passengers and flight crews in 2024. Officers there detected firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 4.5 firearms per million passengers screened.

This amounts to a rate of one firearm discovery per 222,413 screened travelers.

TSA agents stopped a total of 29 firearms at Wisconsin commercial airports in 2024, down from the previous year when 36 were intercepted, TSA data show.

The other airport numbers in Wisconsin were six firearms at Dane County Regional, three at Appleton International and Central Wisconsin Airport, and one at Green Bay Austin Strabel International.

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Nationally, the TSA screened more than 904 million passengers and prevented more than 6,600 firearms from entering flights in 2024, up from 6,737 in 2023, the agency said in its statement.

The vast majority of guns captured last year – 94% of them – were loaded.

More: More than 250,000 people will travel through Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport this holiday season

What happens if someone is caught with a gun at an airport?

Firearm ownership laws vary by state and locality. But in short: violators are subject to law enforcement.

Passengers found to bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint may also be subject to a civil fine of up to approximately $15,000, and may lose their TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years.

More: For the next ten days, fliers can sign up for TSA PreCheck at the Milwaukee airport

Here’s how to fly your gun

Passengers may travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed separately from the ammunition in a locked, hard-backed case. Weapons must be declared at the airline check-in counter.

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Travelers should check for firearms laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.

For more information

TSA posts details on how to properly travel with a firearm on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline for any additional requirements for flying with firearms and ammunition.

This article originally appeared in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: TSA: Fewer guns seized at Wisconsin airports by 2024

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