Rate Of Guns Caught By TSA Doubled Last Year - Forbes

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Topline

Air travel plummeted in the United States last year, but the share of passengers who were caught trying to bring guns onto airplanes soared to roughly twice the rate for 2019, according to figures released Tuesday by the Transportation Security Administration.

Key Facts

For every million people who passed through a U.S. airport checkpoint in 2020, TSA agents caught about 10 guns in passengers’ carry-ons, which is double the rate for 2019 and the highest rate of gun discoveries since the agency was founded in 2001.

The TSA found a total of 3,257 guns last year, a drop of 26% from 2019 even though the total number of U.S. air travelers fell by nearly 61%.

Some 83% of the guns found last year were loaded.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — the United States’ busiest passenger airport — was the country’s top hotspot for firearms, with 220 guns caught last year.

Surprising Fact

The TSA did not explain why air passengers were especially prone to traveling while armed this year, but aviation expert Jeffrey Price told the Associated Press last April that the sudden drop in passengers due to Covid-19 may have been giving TSA agents more time to thoroughly screen travelers.

Key Background

The TSA prohibits air travelers from walking onto planes with loaded firearms. The agency allows guns to be transported unloaded in passengers’ checked bags, but some airlines have also placed restrictions on that practice. If passengers are caught trying to bring a loaded gun onto a plane, the TSA pursues fines of up to $10,250 and refers the issue to local police for possible criminal action, an agency spokesperson told Forbes.

Tangent

Last year was a busy year for guns, generally. The number of firearm background checks performed by the FBI soared by nearly 40% in 2020, a trend possibly driven by coronavirus-related panic and concerns about political unrest.