TSA gun confiscations up 21% so far this year
CHICAGO — The number of handguns confiscated at the nation’s airport security checkpoints was up 21% through May 1 compared to a year ago — and 45% compared to 2012, a National Security Zone analysis of Transportation Security Administration data it maintains shows.
Also trending up in the first part of the year: The percentage of guns that were loaded and that had a bullet in the chamber when they were discovered in carry-ons or on the passenger. Some 85% of guns were loaded compared to 82% a year ago, and 30% had a bullet in the chamber, up from 25% in the first part of 2013.
A 56% increase in confiscations at Dallas-Forth Worth’s airport pushed Atlanta from atop the list of airports witH the most guns found (42 compared to 27 a year ago). One woman in Dallas in February actually made it past the security checkpoint with a gun.
Tampa, San Antonio, Charlotte, Miami, Detroit and Austin also had large increases, while two airports jumped from 1 confiscation each last year to 13 and 10 each (Portland and Kansas City, respectively)
→ FULL STORY, including stats for top airports.
