TSA release top 10 airports where firearms were stopped at checkpoints
Washington DC Jan 29 2021
According to a TSA news release, officers detected twice as many firearms per million passengers at airport security checkpoints in 2020 compared to 2019.
Nationwide, TSA officers discovered a total of 3,257 firearms on passengers or in their carry-on bags at checkpoints, although total passengers screened in 2020 fell by 500 million versus 2019 due to the pandemic. Of those firearms caught in 2020, about 83% were loaded. In 2019, TSA officers stopped a record 4,432 firearms, of which 87 percent were loaded.
In 2020, the TSA found 72 guns at McCarran International Airport checkpoints. Here is a look at the top 10 airports where TSA found guns in 2020:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (220 guns)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (176 guns)
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (126 guns)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (124 guns)
Denver International Airport (104)
Nashville International Airport (94)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (87)
Orlando International Airport (79)
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (72)
Salt Lake City International Airport (71)
“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,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of TSA Administrator Darby LaJoye. “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.”
Airline passengers can fly with firearms as long as they are in checked baggage, properly packed and declared at check-in.