Sky Harbor is 4th for guns found with flyers
Last year, TSA detected 124 firearms in carry-on bags or with passengers
“The airport is considered a federal area at the TSA checkpoint, so therefore we will not allow (you) to have guns or any weapons.” Patricia Mancha
Spokesperson for TSA in the southwest
In the same year that Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport saw low numbers of flyers due to COVID-19, it also had the fourth highest number of guns found on passengers or in carry-on bags at security checkpoints in 2020.
At Sky Harbor, the 13th busiest airport in the nation, the Transportation Security Administration found 124 firearms at security checkpoints with passengers or in carry-on bags last year.
TSA officers found twice as many firearms per 1 million passengers screened in airports last year compared to 2019, including at a higher rate than any other year in the history of TSA.
They caught approximately 10 firearms per 1 million people and found more than 3,200 firearms.
About 83% of the firearms found on passengers or carry-on bags in 2020 were also loaded, compared to 87% of more than 4,400 firearms that were loaded in 2019, according to TSA.
‘What it comes down to is carelessness’
Sky Harbor is one of 234 airports nationwide where passengers with firearms at checkpoints were stopped.
Though the number of guns found in Phoenix was about the same number found in previous years, the amount of people screened at Sky Harbor security checkpoints dropped by half in 2020 — from 17.7 million to 8.9 million passengers, according to TSA.
Patricia Mancha, a spokesperson for TSA in the southwest, said there was an increase in gun purchases in 2020 across the nation, but awareness and culture also play a part in the high number of gun detection at airports like Sky Harbor, she said.
“What it comes down to is carelessness,” said Mancha. “One of the most often heard reasons why people bring a gun to a security checkpoint is, ‘I forgot it was in my bag,’ or ‘This bag isn’t mine, it’s my spouse’s.’ ”
Passengers can travel with firearms if the gun is unloaded and packed in a locked hard-sided case in checked baggage and declared when they check their bags, according to TSA.
Ammunition also has to be in its original box and can be packed inside the hard-side case next to the firearm.
States like Arizona and Texas that have open-carry laws also have big gun cultures, Mancha said.
“People are so used to having their guns everywhere they go that they assume they can take them to the airport,” she said. “The airport is considered a federal area at the TSA checkpoint, so therefore we will not allow (you) to have guns or any weapons.”
According to the Associated Press, Jeffrey Price, who teaches aviation at the University of Denver, believes the higher rate of gun detection at airports could be due to increased gun sales, shorter TSA lines and an “apocalypse mindset.”
National Instant Criminal Background Check System saw significant increases last year for firearm background checks nationwide, according to the FBI.
Arizona had almost double the firearm background checks in 2020 compared to 2019, which had more than
372,000 background checks.
Passengers can be fined $2,500 for an unloaded gun, $4,500 for a loaded gun
In addition to firearms, Mancha said Sky Harbor and other airports also find a variety of weapons such as knives, brass knuckles and firearm replicas like BB guns and gun parts, which people can’t travel with and often voluntarily give to airports to save time on their flights.
If TSA locates a firearm or weapon on a passenger or in a carry-on bag, police will be called and the process of getting on the plane will stop for the passenger, Mancha said.
“If someone has a window of time to make a flight, it’s very likely that they will miss it,” she said.
The fine for a loaded firearm can be up to $4,500, or $2,500 for an unloaded gun. A passenger with a firearm can also be suspended from TSA pre-check, Mancha said.
For gun detection of passengers and carry-on bags, Sky Harbor sits below international airports in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Atlanta, which had 220 firearms found by TSA last year.
Passengers can find more information about traveling with firearms on the TSA website or by downloading their mobile application.