Air travelers continue to bring firearms and other prohibited items to airports nationwide, although the number of intercepted banned items decreased last year by 16.54 percent compared to 2024, according to the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) .
The OTS noted the decline in the number of cases of intercepted banned items to 1,434,596 in 2025 as opposed to 1,718,852 in 2024.
Some of the passengers apprehended with firearms and bullets were either active or retired members of the police and the military, the OTS said.
It attributed the decline to proactive information campaigns that highlighted the dangers and repercussions of carrying empty ammunition, guns and their components, liquids, aerosols, and gels exceeding 100 milliliters, devices capable of discharging projectiles, and other security-banned items into airport terminals.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “OTS: Cases of banned items at airports fall 16.5% in 2025”
