Top 10 Airports Where Guns Were Discovered In Carry-On Bags 2017

A record number of almost 4,000 firearms were discovered at airports across the United States in 2017, according to a report published by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The TSA report released Monday showed that 771.5 million travelers passed through federally protected airports last year and that 3,957 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags, which breaks down to an average of 10.8 per day. The TSA also reported that of the firearms discovered, 84 percent of them were loaded.

The airports where the weapons were found tended to be in states with conceal carry laws and looser gun restrictions. The TSA found the most firearms at Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a total of 245 guns, 222 of which were loaded. The second and third spots went to Texas airports, Dallas/Fort Worth International with 211 firearms discovered and George Bush Intercontinental Airport with 142 guns found.

Denver International Airport was fourth with 118 and fifth belonged to Arizona’s Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with 115 guns. Floridian airports took spots six and seven with Tampa International Airport having 97 guns found then Orlando International Airport with 94. Texas also had the eighth spot with Dallas Love Field where 93 guns were discovered. The final two spots were Tennessee’s Nashville International which had 89 guns discovered and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport with 75.

The TSA began tracking year-end tallies of found weapons in 2005. There were 17 percent more guns found in luggage this year compared to last year. The only people allowed to carry firearms on to a plane are federal agents and law enforcement officers who have passed a training course and present a need to carry a gun on a plane. Firearms are allowed in checked items in some cases, but rules vary by carrier.

The number of weapons found by the TSA in airports has increased dramatically since they began tracking the number in 2005, when it found 660 firearms. That means the number of firearms discovered has increased nearly 600 percent in 2017.

The TSA said that many of the people who attempted to bring firearms on to an airplane said they were unaware that a gun was in their luggage. The agency recommends fliers go through their bags before packing, a violation for bringing a prohibited item on to a plane can carry fines of up to $13,066.

In addition to firearms, the TSA reported finding a number of other dangerous prohibited items including grenades, knives and explosives. At the El Paso International Airport in Texas, an explosives ordnance disposal contractor packed a mock suicide bombing vest meant for training purposes without informing authorities.

The TSA also reported discovering 198 prohibited items hidden in other objects in what it calls “artful concealment.” Examples of this include a lipstick knife discovered in a person’s carry-on at Tulsa International Airport in Oklahoma and a knife hidden in a stick of deodorant discovered at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.