TSA officers intercepted 8 guns at Hector International Airport in 2024

FARGO (KFGO) – Transportation Security Administration officers intercepted eight guns at Hector International Airport in Fargo last year.

That’s five more than in 2023.

The TSA says 19 guns were stopped from making it through security at North Dakota airports in 2024, up from 12 the year before. Besides the eight firearms at Hector, TSA officers intercepted six at Bismarck Municipal, three at Williston Basin International, and one each at Grand Forks International and Minot International Airports.

Over the past five years, 70 guns have been intercepted in the state’s airports. The numbers increased from nine in 2020 to 17 in 2022 before 2023’s dip.

South Dakota airports have seen a steady rise in firearm interceptions from six in 2020 to 24 in 2024.

TSA officers at Rapid City Regional Airport stopped 14 guns from making it onto airplanes. Officers in Sioux Falls intercepted nine firearms, and one gun was intercepted at Aberdeen Regional Airport.

Nationwide, 6,678 guns were stopped at TSA checkpoints in 2024. The agency says 94% of those were loaded.