The Transportation Security Administration has already set records at several airports for gun interceptions in a single year, as the busiest travel season began with the Thanksgiving holiday earlier this week.
Through the first three quarters of the year, TSA announced it had intercepted 5,072 firearms at airport security checkpoints throughout the country and is on pace to break 2022’s record of 6,542 guns intercepted. Since this year’s three-quarter numbers were released in October, several airports have already surpassed their records for firearm interceptions.
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, has stopped 33 guns from being brought past security checkpoints in 2022, surpassing the airport’s 2021 record of 30. The most recent discovery came on Wednesday when TSA agents prevented a Maryland woman from bringing a 9 mm handgun loaded with six bullets through security on the busiest travel day of the year.
“There is no excuse for bringing a gun to the checkpoint,” John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, said in a statement. “Responsible gun owners do not bring their guns to a checkpoint.”
“This was irresponsible on the part of this traveler on one of the busiest days of the year, plain and simple. Incidents such as this are dangerous, they disrupt our security screening operations and cause delays for other law-abiding travelers who just want to get on their flight to travel for the holiday,” he added.
Other airports that have already passed their record for gun interceptions include Pittsburgh International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport tied its record for guns intercepted in a year in October, and Philadelphia International Airport is just shy of its record with 41 guns being intercepted so far this year.
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Guns are not permitted to be brought in carry-on bags on airplanes in the United States. Firearms may be packed in a checked bag, “unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case,” and declared upon check-in, according to the TSA.
Those who attempt to bring a firearm in their carry-on bag at the airport can face a fine of up to $15,000.
