TSA officers at South Carolina’s major airports set a new state record by discovering 87 firearms in passengers’ carry-on luggage.
This marks a significant increase from previous years, with eight more firearms found than in 2022 and 15 more than in 2021.
Charleston International Airport saw 27 firearms recovered by TSA agents, slightly fewer than the previous year. Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport topped the list with 32 firearms found. Additionally, TSA agents uncovered 11 firearms at Columbia Metropolitan Airport and 17 at Myrtle Beach International Airport. Notably, no handguns were found at Florence Regional or Hilton Head Island Airport last year.
| Airport | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport | 23 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 32 |
| Charleston International Airport | 18 | 12 | 30 | 32 | 27 |
| Myrtle Beach International Airport | 12 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 17 |
| Columbia Metropolitan Airport | 10 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 11 |
| Florence Regional Airport | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hilton Head Island Airport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina Total | 63 | 41 | 72 | 79 | 87 |
| National Total | 4,432 | 3,257 | 5,972 | 6,542 | 6,737 |
