North Carolina airports saw a 5% increase statewide in firearm detections at security checkpoints in 2024, but Charlotte bucked the trend.
The Transportation Security Administration said there were 250 firearms found at North Carolina airports last year. Charlotte Douglas airport led the way with 117 found in 2024, though that was a decrease compared to the year before. TSA said agents intercepted 6,678 nationally at airport checkpoints in 2024, a slight decrease.
Among the firearms found at North Carolina airports, 240 were found loaded, about the same share nationwide.
Charlotte Douglas, the state’s busiest airport made up almost half of the state's firearm detections and was ranked 13th nationally. Trailing Charlotte for the most detections was Raleigh Durham International with 89.
Overall nationally, TSA intercepted 7.4 firearms per million people which was a slight decrease from 2023’s rate.