TSA Seizes Record Number of Guns From Carry-On Bags

An alarming number of airline passengers tried to slip guns through security at U.S. airports last year. Frighteningly, most of the guns (83 percent) confiscated by airport security officers were loaded.

The Transportation Security Administration says it intercepted a record 2,653 firearms from carry-on bags in 2015. That’s a 20 percent increase over the previous record set in 2014, when the TSA confiscated 2,212 guns.

“Through increased training in detection methods, our officers are becoming more adept at intercepting these prohibited items,” TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said in a statement.

According to TSA, these five airports had the most guns confiscated from passengers last year:

• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: 153
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 144
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport: 100
• Denver International Airport: 90
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: 73

In addition to loaded guns, TSA agents also confiscated other banned, and potentially dangerous items from passengers, including black powder (the original gunpowder), live flashbang grenades, sword canes, belt buckle knives, comb/brush knives, credit card knives, daggers, a sickle and a samurai sword, just to name a few.

Click here to read more about the items TSA seized from passengers last year.

TSA screened more than 708 million passengers in 2015, which was 40.7 million more passengers than the previous year. That equates to roughly 1.9 million screenings each day.

I think the next time I fly, instead of getting impatient while waiting to get through airport security; I will give a heartfelt thank you to the TSA officers that are screening passengers and trying to keep us safe.

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