TSA weapon interceptions hit an all-time high in 2022 at 6,542

The gun was one of 6,542 guns intercepted by the Transportation Security Administration at airport checkpoints across the country last year. The number — about 18 a day — was an all-time high for guns intercepted at US airports and is sparking concern at a time when more Americans are armed.

“What we see at our checkpoints really reflects what we see in society, and in society today there are more people carrying firearms,” ​​said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

With the exception of the pandemic-ravaged 2020, the number of weapons intercepted at airport checkpoints has increased every year since 2010. Experts don’t believe it’s an epidemic of potential kidnappers – almost everyone caught claims to have forgotten they had a gun with them – but they do stress the danger that even a gun in the wrong hands can carry an airplane or at a checkpoint.

Guns were intercepted literally from Burbank, California to Bangor, Maine. But it’s more likely to happen at larger airports in areas with laws that make carrying a gun friendlier, Pekoske said. The top 10 list for gun interceptions in 2022 includes Dallas, Austin and Houston in Texas; three airports in Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; Phoenix; and Denver.

Pekoske isn’t sure if the “I forgot” excuse always applies or if it’s a natural reaction to being caught. Regardless, he said, it’s a problem that needs to stop.

When TSA employees see what they believe to be a weapon on the x-ray machine, they typically stop the tape so the bag stays in the machine and the passenger cannot access it. Then call the local police.

Impacts vary depending on local and state legislation. The person can be arrested and the weapon confiscated. But sometimes they are allowed to give the weapon to a companion not flying with them and continue on their way. Unloaded weapons can also be stowed in checked bags provided they follow proper procedures. The Philadelphia woman saw her gun confiscated and was fined.

These federal penalties are the TSA’s tool to punish those who bring a gun to a checkpoint. Last year, as a deterrent, the TSA increased the maximum fine to $14,950. Passengers will also lose their PreCheck status, which allows them to bypass some types of controls, for five years. It used to be three years, but about a year ago the agency extended the time and changed the rules. Passengers can also miss their flight and lose their gun. If federal officials can identify the person who intended to take the gun past the checkpoint and into the so-called sterile area of ​​the airport, it’s a federal crime.

Retired TSA officer Keith Jeffries said intercepting guns could also slow other passengers in line.

“It’s definitely disturbing,” Jeffries said. “It’s a dangerous, prohibited item and let’s face it, you should know where your gun is to scream out loud.”

Experts and officials say the rise in gun-tapping simply reflects more Americans carrying guns.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, tracks FBI data on background checks conducted for a firearm sale. The number was just over 7 million in 2000 and about 16.4 million last year. They rose even further during the coronavirus pandemic.

It can be confusing for TSA officers looking for prohibited items.

In Atlanta, Janecia Howard was monitoring the X-ray machine when she realized she was looking at a gun in a passenger’s laptop bag. She immediately marked it as a “high-risk” item and police were notified.

Howard said it felt like her heart was about to drop and she was worried the passenger might try to get the gun. It turns out the passenger was a very apologetic businessman who said he just forgot. Howard says she understands that traveling can be stressful but that people need to be careful when preparing for a flight.

“You have to be vigilant and careful,” she said. “It is your property.”

Atlanta’s airport, one of the busiest in the world with around 85,000 people passing through checkpoints on a busy day, had the most guns intercepted in 2022 – 448 – but that number was actually lower than the year before. Robert Spinden, the TSA’s top Atlanta official, says the agency and airport have made major efforts in 2021 to address the large number of weapons being intercepted at checkpoints.

An incident in November 2021 reinforced the need for their efforts. A TSA officer noticed a suspected gun in a passenger’s pocket. When the officer opened the suitcase, the man grabbed the gun, which went off. People rushed to the exits and the airport was closed for two and a half hours, the airport’s general manager Balram Bheodari said during a congressional hearing last year.

Officials have put up new signs to draw the attention of gun owners. A hologram over a control point shows an image of a spinning blue weapon with a red circle over the weapon with a solid line. Multiple 70-inch TV screens flash rotating messages that guns are not allowed.

“The airport is signposted everywhere. There are announcements, holograms, televisions. There’s a whole slew of information flashing before your eyes just as a last-ditch reminder that if you own a firearm, do you know where it is? said spiders.

Miami Airport also made an effort to attract the attention of gun owners. The airport’s director told Congress last year that after setting a record for weapons interceptions in 2021, they installed high-visibility signage and worked with airlines to warn passengers. He said the number of firearms intercepted had fallen sharply.

According to Pekoske, signage is only part of the solution. Travelers are already confronted with a deluge of signs or announcements and do not always pay attention to them. He also supports gradually increasing penalties to attract people’s attention.

But Aidan Johnston, of gun advocacy group Gun Owners of America, said he would like to see fines reduced because they are not a deterrent. While he would like more education for new gun owners, he does not see this as a “great heinous crime”.

“These are not bad people in dire need of punishment,” he said. “These are people who made a mistake.”

Officials believe they’re catching the vast majority, but with 730 million passengers screened last year, even a tiny percentage getting through is a problem.

Last month, musician Cliff Waddell was traveling from Nashville, Tennessee to Raleigh, North Carolina when he was stopped at the checkpoint. A TSA officer saw a gun in his pocket. Waddell was so shocked that he initially said it couldn’t be because he had flown with the same bag the day before. It turned out that the gun had been in his pocket but had been overlooked during the demonstration. TSA confirmed the failure, and Pekoske says they are investigating.

As Waddell tried to figure out how the gun he keeps in his glove compartment got into his book bag, he realized he had taken it out when he brought the vehicle in for repairs. Waddell said he acknowledges it’s his responsibility to know where his firearm is, but worries how the TSA could have missed something so significant.

“It was a shock to me,” he said.