RDU sees increase in guns found compared to same time last year

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- People continue to show up at Raleigh-Durham International Airport with firearms, potentially inviting legal and financial troubles.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that in the first two months of the year, its officers detected 14 firearms at security checkpoints at RDU. That's five more than in the previous period in 2024.

At Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, 27 firearms were detected. In all, 50 firearms were found at airport checkpoints across the state.

The TSA said all the firearms detected were loaded and 26 of the weapons had a round chambered at the time.

TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to one of its checkpoints with a civil penalty up to as much as $15,000. The passenger can also be arrested or cited by law enforcement.

Travelers who want to take firearms aboard can do so in checked baggage if they are in a locked, hard-sided container and declared to the airline before traveling.

Travelers need to take a similar approach to packing ammunition.