For the first time in years, fewer Florida travelers got caught trying to illegally carry guns onto planes in 2024

Florida’s relaxed firearm laws and large number of concealed carry permits may have earned it the nickname, the “Gunshine State,” but that distinction is of decreasing pertinence in the state’s airspace, new figures from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) show.

For the first time in years, TSA officers discovered fewer guns in air travelers’ carry-on luggage in 2024 than the year prior. The drop was small — from 834 in 2023 to 817 last year — but nevertheless notable.

Nationwide, seizures of firearms at TSA gates also dropped, from 6,737 to 6,678. TSA officers detected one firearm for every 135,384 passengers screened, a TSA press note said. The rate was a bit lower, with one firearm found per 140,061 screened air travelers.

Several Florida airports bucked the state’s downward trend.

Miami International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Gainesville Regional Airport and Melbourne Orlando International Airport all posted local records for gun detections last year.

Miami International’s gun discoveries rose from 59 in 2020 to 74 in 2023. Last year, the number jumped to 103. At Palm Beach International, TSA officials went from finding 10 guns in carry-on bags in 2020 to 47 in 2024, an 11-gun uptick from the year before. And at Northwest Florida Beaches International, the number of guns in bags rose from 11 to 18 between 2020 and 2023 before jumping to 26 in 2024.

None topped the list of Florida hubs with the most firearms found.

That distinction belongs to Orlando International Airport, which led all others for the third year straight in TSA-detected guns. Security personnel found 150 firearms in carry-on bags last year, a 14-gun year-over-year dip.

Tampa International Airport placed second, with 135 guns detected, down from 144 in 2023.

Last year, the TSA screened about 114.4 million departing travelers at Florida airports, a 3.5% annual increase. Passengers who tried to board planes while illegally carrying firearms accounted for 0.0007% of the total.

According to the TSA, firearms can be transported on commercial aircraft if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in a checked bag. Replica firearms are also prohibited in carry-on bags and must be transported in checked luggage.

Travelers transporting guns must also declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts at the airline ticket counter during the check-in process. The TSA encourages passengers to read up on gun laws and regulations at their destinations, too, to ensure they comply with local and state statutes.

In addition to possible criminal citations by local law enforcement, air travelers who attempt to illegally carry guns onto planes face civil penalties of up to $14,950 per violation. The severity of the fine is determined by several factors, including whether the gun was loaded and if there was accessible ammo.