The number of firearms at flight hubs hit a record high in 2022.
Everyone who’s been on a plane in the last couple of decades knows the drill when you hit the security line: Take off your shoes, remove your laptop from your bag, don’t bring along any weapons. Basic stuff, right?
Well, apparently those instructions aren’t quite so clear, considering the TSA found a record number of firearms in American airports in 2022. Data from the Transportation Security Administration reveals the agency discovered a total of 6,542 guns in carry-on bags last year, up from 5,972 in 2021.
At a time when the conversation around gun control has reached a fever pitch in the United States — and everyday people are forced to consider what to do in an active shooter situation — reports like this are of greater interest than ever. So let’s dive in, shall we?
At which airports did the TSA find the most guns in 2022?
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): 448
2. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): 385
3. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH): 298
4. Nashville International Airport (BNA): 213
5. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX): 196
6. Orlando International Airport (MCO): 162
7. Denver International Airport (DEN): 156
8. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS): 150
9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL): 134
10. Tampa International Airport(TPA): 131
How do these numbers compare to previous years?
The 6,542 guns found at airports in 2022 is a record high for the TSA. As we pointed out earlier, it’s a jump from the 5,972 found in 2021, which itself was an even bigger jump from the 3,257 found in 2020. The lack of air travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic affected the 2020 data, though — that year is the only one in which the number of firearms discovered went down from the year before. In 2019, the number was 4,432.
Looking further back illuminates a pretty startling trend of growth. In 2008, for example, the number of guns found at airports was a mere 926 — still too many, to be sure, but vastly lower than what the TSA discovered in 2022.
Two of the locations on this year’s top 10 list are new additions: The flight hubs in Austin and Tampa have replaced Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport, which both appeared on the list in 2021.
What are the TSA’s rules about bringing firearms onto planes?
For starters, guns are definitively not allowed in carry-on bags. The TSA does allow holsters and rifle scopes in a carry-on, and empty shell casings are also OK “as long as the projectile is no longer intact” and the primer has been removed or discharged.
Checked baggage is more complicated. Flare guns, flares, gun lighters, gun powder, and rocket launchers are never allowed in these bags, while cap guns and realistic replicas of guns are allowed. But other firearms and accessories — such as ammunition, BB guns, compressed air guns, firearm parts, rifles, and starter pistols — may be allowed in checked bags if special instructions are followed. A full list of the TSA’s guidelines is available right here.
If a security agent finds a prohibited firearm in a passenger’s luggage, the TSA will notify local law enforcement rather than seizing it themselves. No federal penalty has been outlined for attempting to bring a gun in your bag, but the TSA does have the right to impose a fine — and the maximum amount for that fine has just been bumped up to $14,950 in an effort to deter travelers from packing heat.
“When a passenger brings a firearm to the checkpoint, this consumes significant security resources and poses a potential threat to transportation security, in addition to being very costly for the passenger,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement.
