NEW YORK – Transportation Security Administration officers stopped 39 handguns at area airport checkpoints in 2022, an increase from 26 guns caught in 2021.
The two local airports – New York Stewart International and Westchester County – saw increased gun confiscations last year.
Four guns were seized in 2022 at Westchester, up from none in 2021. At Stewart, three guns were seized last year compared with one the year before.
Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA.
Even if a traveler has a concealed weapon permit, firearms are not permitted to be carried n an airline. Travelers with proper firearm permits can travel legally with their firearms in their checked bags if they follow a few guidelines.
| AIRPORT | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Newark Liberty | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| LaGuardia | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| JFK | 2 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Westchester | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Stewart | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| MacArthur | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 27 | 17 | 26 | 39 |
