ATLANTA — Agents seized 498 firearms at security checkpoints in eight airports across Georgia last year and 440 of those were detected at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
That’s a slight decrease from 451, the number of firearms discovered at the security checkpoints in 2023.
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants travelers to know that yes, you can fly with your firearms, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.
You can fly with unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container in your checked baggage only. You’ll also need to declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when you check your bag at the ticket counter.
The container must be locked and secure so no one but you can access it. If the case can be easily unlocked, it is not permitted.
The TSA says the container that the firearm was in when you purchased it may not be secure enough to transport it in your checked baggage.
If you bring an unloaded firearm with accessible ammunition to a security checkpoint, it carries the same civil penalty or fine as bringing a loaded weapon to the checkpoint.
All firearm parts, such as magazines, bolts, and firing pins must be packed into your checked baggage. Toy guns and replica guns have to be packed into your checked baggage too. So if you want to keep your gun when flying, make sure you follow their advice.
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