US Airport Gun Discoveries Up 28 Percent

The US Transportation Security Administration discovered nearly 3,400 firearms in carry-on bags last year at US airports, an average of nine per day across 238 airports. There was a 28% increase in firearm discoveries from 2015’s total of 2,653,” TSA wrote on its blog. Around 3,391 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, of which 2,815 (83%) were loaded. Firearms were intercepted at a total of 238 airports; two more airports than last year.  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had the most finds, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth International and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Skift reported. The large number of guns found represent a 500% increase over 2005, showing the effect of gradual reforms across TSA that have increased the ability of its officers to discover weapons. Still, with 738,318,264 total passengers searched over the course of the year by TSA, it is likely many more guns are going undiscovered.