Phoenix Sky Harbor hopes to cut down on amount of firearms in security checkpoints this year

PHOENIX — Officials are hoping better knowledge and outreach will cut down on the number of firearms that are confiscated this year in carry-on luggage at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

That’s because the airport is No. 4 for the most firearms that are brought to security checkpoints, according to Patricia Mancha, a TSA spokesperson.

“In 2024, we had 247 people bring a firearm to the checkpoint here at Phoenix Sky Harbor,” Mancha told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday. “That was an increase of about 15 from the previous year.”

How to properly travel with firearms at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

It’s legal to travel with firearms in your checked luggage, as long as you follow the proper procedures:

1. A firearm must be unloaded.
2. It must be packed in a hard-sided container and locked with a padlock.
3. Travelers must declare their firearm with the airline they’re traveling with.

Firearms, firearm components and ammunition are never allowed in carry-on luggage.

Unusual items people surrendered at Sky Harbor’s security checkpoints

To bring awareness to the issue, officials with TSA and the airport set up an unusual table in the airport’s Terminal 4.

A gun in a case sat on a table travelers could walk past. Next to it were various other prohibited items people had surrendered at checkpoints, including a skillet, a bottle of tequila with an insect, a hammer, a knife, a power tool, brass knuckles and a snow globe.

Some people will even try to smuggle drugs through the airport by hiding them in a jar of peanut butter, Mancha said.

However, that doesn’t work because peanut butter also isn’t allowed. It counts as a liquid — and liquids are limited to 3.4 ounces or less.

“The way we define the liquid is that if you can spill it, spread it, pour it, pump it, or spray it, then it’s a liquid,” Mancha said. “A great way to think about it that … you can bring as many avocados as you want in your carry-on, but once they become guacamole, they’re limited to 3.4 ounces.”

Today, KTAR’s @Serenaeosully visited a unique setup at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Shawn Felix shows various items visitors surrendered at security checkpoints, including brass knuckles, skillets, knife sets, large snow globes and handguns. pic.twitter.com/Z8dgbPLl6g

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) February 12, 2025

Resources for people who want to travel with firearms at Sky Harbor

Mancha urged curious travelers to go to TSA’s website to learn the ins and outs of traveling with firearms. She also said parents should be cautious about what their kids are bringing to airports.

“We really recommend that you supervise your children or your minors when they’re packing,” Mancha said. “Our officers tell us that kids bring shotgun shells, pocket knives, all kinds of other things that you may not even know they’re bringing.”

Related

Fasten your seatbelt: Phoenix Sky Harbor flew more passengers than ever before in 2024Sky Harbor celebrating 90th anniversary with live music, exhibitions, activities, dog parades, moreSky Harbor unveiling Culture Corner in Terminal 3, another element to 90th birthday as airportSky Harbor gets $84.3M in federal funding for new taxiway bridgeMaricopa County announces 6 new measles exposure sites in Chandler, PhoenixDave Ramsey says: You’re really just trading one expense for another