TSA detects record number of guns in carry-on bags

Airport security found a record-breaking 6,542 guns in carry-on luggage last year, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.

The agency already knew it was collecting a record-breaking number of firearms back in mid-December when it reported confiscating 6,301 firearms and predicted the figure would land at 6,600 by year’s end. The actual number turned out to be a hair under that, but still a 10% increase over the previous year, the TSA said.

The final number did not change the percentage of those that were considered loaded — meaning the passenger packed gun and ammo — which was nearly 90%.

That amounts to about 18 weapons caught per day and is an all-time high, TSA officials said.

“What we see in our checkpoints really reflects what we’re seeing in society, and in society there are more people carrying firearms nowadays,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said.

In 2010, just 1,123 firearms were discovered, according to TSA figures.

Most passengers claim they forgot to leave guns out of their bags.

But finding guns in luggage holds up the line for everyone as police must be summoned while the bag sits inside the X-ray machine.

It is against federal law to transport guns into an airport’s “sterile area” intentionally. Last year, the TSA increased the maximum fine to $14,950 for guns found in luggage. The offense also costs passengers their PreCheck status, which allows them to bypass most screening, for five years. In addition, depending on the situation and local laws, a passenger could end up arrested.

While firearms possession laws vary by state and locality, guns are never permitted in carry-on bags. That’s whether the passenger has a permit to carry a concealed weapon or not, the TSA said.

The bigger the airport, the more likely it is to happen, Pekoske said. The top 10 locations last year were Dallas, Austin and Houston, each in Texas, plus three Florida airports, as well as Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix and Denver.