The rate at which guns were seized at U.S. airports doubled last year compared to 2019, according to Transportation Security Administration data.
TSA found about 10 firearms per million passengers in 2020, when there was a large dip in travelers due to the coronavirus pandemic, compared with five million per passenger in 2019. In total, 3,257 guns were confiscated. Eighty-three percent were loaded.
The catch rate is the highest in the agency’s 19-year history.
“I commend our officers for their commitment to TSA’s security mission by identifying and stopping these weapons at the TSA checkpoints. Firearms are strictly prohibited onboard planes in the passenger cabin,” Darby LaJoye, the executive assistant administrator for TSA security operations, said in a press release. “Bringing a firearm to a TSA security checkpoint poses a serious risk to TSA officer and passenger safety, and doing so may result in significant fines or arrest.”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had the most firearm catches last year with 220, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth with 176, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport with 126.
Airline passengers can fly with guns in checked baggage if the firearms are properly packed and declared at check-in.
TSA is currently screening less than 40% of traffic it did a year ago.