The Transportation Security Administration is seeing a rise of travelers trying to bring firearms through security checkpoints at Oklahoma airports.
According to a press release, a total of 95 guns were detected at Oklahoma airport security checkpoints in 2021 and TSA authorities have already found eight guns in 2022.
“The most common excuse we hear is that someone forgot that they had their gun with them,” Preston Smolinski, TSA’s Federal Security Director for airports in Oklahoma said, according to the press release. “That’s no excuse. If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times. It’s part of being a responsible gun owner.”
Smolinski advises travelers to not make the mistake of bringing a gun to the checkpoint in the first place and adds that individuals could face criminal penalties on top of federal civil citations that can be extremely costly.
Travelers are allowed to include their firearms with their checked baggage as long as they are properly packed and declared at the airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case, separately from ammunition.
Jeff Mulder, director of airports for Oklahoma City and OKC Airport Trust, said that being prepared to travel by air requires planning and preparation and asks travelers to help pay attention to what they're taking through airport screening.
"Making sure that your firearm doesn’t travel on an aircraft with you is important for everyone’s safety," Mulder said, according to the press release. "When a firearm is discovered at the security checkpoint, everything stops which impacts everyone trying to get through the checkpoint and to their flight."
