Chattanooga Airport sees rise in number of guns confiscated in 2020

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport had confiscated 11 guns in 2020 as it followed the national trend of a higher rate of firearms discovered at the nation’s airports.

The number of guns captured at Lovell Field last year was up from nine in both 2019 and 2018, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The number was up last year in Chattanooga despite passenger traffic sharply off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nationwide, TSA said Tuesday that security screeners confiscated guns at airport checkpoints at a record pace last year, although the total number of guns dropped along with the steep plunge in travelers because of the pandemic. Screeners found 3,257 firearms on passengers or in their carry-on bags in 2020, or about 10 for every million travelers. About 83% of the guns were loaded.

The rate was double that in 2019, when screeners found five guns for every million passengers. However, with 500 million more travelers screened in 2019, TSA officers found a record 4,432 guns that year.

Federal law prohibits passengers other than certain law enforcement officers from bringing guns or ammunition into the cabin. Federal law allows passengers to put guns in checked bags that go into the cargo hold if they are unloaded and in a locked case.

Airlines don’t have to permit guns even in checked bags. All leading U.S. carriers temporarily banned guns in checked bags on flights to Washington, D.C.-area airports for a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Those bans lapsed last weekend, three days after the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

Three airports, Nashville International Airport, McGhee Tyson Airport and Tri-Cities Airport, each saw a decrease in the number of firearms brought by passengers in carry-on luggage, according to TSA. Chattanooga and Memphis International Airport each saw a slight increase.