All firearms must be properly packed and declared to the airline at check-in, which means unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case. Contact your airline for additional guidance. It is your responsibility to know what the gun laws are on both sides of your trip because guns may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions. 

As of Sept. 27, 2022, TSA officers at IAH prevented 216 guns from making it onboard airplanes in 2022. In every case, Houston Police responded. 

"Each gun presents a danger and any incident could have tragic results,” said TSA Federal Security Director for IAH Juan Sanchez. “This ominous trend continues across the country. Passengers should know exactly where their gun is before they enter the airport and make sure that it is not in a backpack, purse, suitcase, or any carry-on that you plan to bring into the security checkpoint.” 

Bringing weapons to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty of up to $13,910. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.  

Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges for an allotted period of time.  

“Bringing any prohibited item through a security checkpoint not only poses a security risk to the traveling public but it is disruptive to airport operations,” Houston Airports Chief of Operations Steve Runge said. “Passengers will have a safer and more comfortable travel experience when following TSA’s, and all airport regulations.”