• The TSA said it intercepted 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints last year.
• It was a small decrease from last year — but incidents have doubled since 2015.
• The most firearms, 440, were detected at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration intercepted 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints last year, it announced Wednesday.

That's an average of more than 18 firearms a day.

The agency screened more than 904 million people, meaning there was an average rate of 7.4 firearms per every million people.

It added that 94% of the firearms were loaded.

The figures for 2024 represent a slight decrease from last year's record 6,737 — but only by 0.9%.

Nonetheless, it is still the only year in the past decade — except for 2020, when travel was crippled by the pandemic — that has seen a drop in the number of firearms detected at airports.

The figure has more than doubled since 2015.

One of the TSA's interceptions last year included an airline crew member carrying a loaded 9mm handgun at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The TSA also released statistics for which airports see the most firearms.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines' primary hub, saw the most at 440. It was closely followed by the 390 at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, which is American Airlines' biggest hub.

Four of the top 10 airports were in Texas, while two were in Florida.

The TSA said that when a firearm is found at an airport security checkpoint, law enforcement will be contacted and remove the passenger from the area.

In addition to any action taken by local law enforcement, passengers who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint face a fine of up to $15,000.

"One firearm at a checkpoint is too many," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. "Firearms present a safety risk for our employees and everyone else at the checkpoint. It's also costly and slows down operations."

"If individuals who carry a firearm intend to travel, we remind them that the firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline at the check-in counter, and transported in checked baggage," he added.