Agents at the Transportation Security Administration stopped a record 6,737 guns at airport checkpoints last year — 93% of which were loaded.
The number is an uptick from the 6,542 firearms stopped in 2022, and the 5,972 guns that were intercepted at security checkpoints in 2021, according to TSA.
“We are still seeing far too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s particularly concerning is the amount of them loaded, presenting an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said.
The 2023 record-breaking haul follows a concerning trend: the number of guns intercepted by officers has tripled over the last decade, according to an analysis by Forbes.
TSA officials blame the uptick on the rise of permitless carry laws, which are now in place in 28 states.
“We’ve got a significant rise in the population of new, never-before gun owners. And then we have a significant rise in new air travelers,” a TSA official told Forbes last year.
Many of the gun-toting fliers hail from airports in southern states with less strict gun laws, Forbes reported.
Topping the list is Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport ,where TSA agents stopped 451 firearms at security checkpoints last year.
Coming in second is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where TSA agents stopped 378 guns from getting on planes.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport was third with 311 guns.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport stopped 235 guns from boarding planes, and Denver International Airport stopped 178.
TSA does provide a way for fliers to lawfully travel with a gun, but the firearm must be in a locked hard-sided container in checked baggage, and the traveler needs to tell the airline about the firearm when they check their bags.
Fliers who violate these rules are subject to whatever local laws dictate punishment — criminal laws vary by city or state. But civil penalties also apply.
The minimum penalty for flying with an undeclared firearm is $3,000 and the cost goes up to $14,950 for repeat offenders.