by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:22 PM ET, Fri January 17, 2020
It was a dangerous year for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, as they discovered more firearms at security checkpoints across the United States than ever before in 2019.
TSA officers caught 4,432 firearms in carry-on bags or on passengers at checkpoints across the country last year, a five-percent increase over the 4,239 guns detected in 2018. In total, the agency discovered an average of 12.1 firearms per day, with 87 percent of the confiscated guns being loaded.
Firearms were caught at 278 airports in the U.S., with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International topping the list at 323 guns found. Rounding out the top five airports was Dallas Fort Worth International (217), Denver International (140), George Bush Intercontinental (138) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International (132).
"The continued increase in the number of firearms that travelers bring to airport checkpoints is deeply troubling," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. "There is a proper way to travel safely with a firearm. First and foremost, it should be unloaded. Then it should be packed in a hard-sided locked case, taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared, and checked."
The official TSA website is reminding travelers that bringing firearms to an airport checkpoint can result in federal civil penalties of up to $13,000, depending on the weapon, with a typical first offense for carrying a handgun being around $4,100.
TSA agents are already busy enough without finding firearms, as the agency broke records by screening more than 43.8 million passengers and crew members during the 2019 holiday travel period, a four percent increase over the previous year.
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