US breaks record for weapons intercepted at airports

ATLANTA (AP) — The woman leaving Philadelphia airport recalled packing snacks, prescription medication and a cell phone in her bag. But more important was what he had forgotten to take out of his luggage: a loaded .380 caliber handgun in a black holster.

It was one of 6,542 weapons intercepted last year by the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airport checkpoints across the United States. The number, about 18 a day, is an all-time high at US airports and raises concerns at a time when more people are armed in the country.

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

With the exception of 2020, a year marked by pandemic restrictions, the number of weapons intercepted at airport checkpoints has increased every year since 2010. Experts do not believe this is an outbreak of potential hijackers – almost all of those discovered say he forgot he had the gun with him – but emphasize the danger that even a single gun in the wrong hands can pose on an airplane or at the security checkpoints.

Weapons were intercepted from Burbank, California to Bangor, Maine. But it seems to happen more often at larger airports in areas with more lax laws, Pekoske said. The list of the 10 centers where the most weapons were intercepted 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 is always true or if it’s the natural reaction to being found out. However, he said, it is a problem that must end.

When TSA personnel see what they think is a gun in the x-ray machine, they often stop the tape so the gun stays inside the machine and the passenger can’t get in there. to access. Then they call the local police.

The consequences vary according to national and local laws. The person could be arrested and their weapon confiscated. But sometimes they are allowed to give it to a companion who is not traveling with them and continue on their way. Unloaded weapons may also be placed in checked bags if proper procedure is followed. The Philadelphia woman had her gun confiscated and filed for penalty proceedings.

These federal tickets are the TSA’s tool to punish those who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint. Last year, the agency raised the maximum penalty to $14,950 as a deterrent. Passengers also lose their PreCheck status for five years, allowing them to avoid certain types of checks. It used to be three years, but the agency changed the rules a year ago and increased that time frame. Passengers could also lose their flight and their weapon. If federal authorities can prove that the people intended to smuggle the weapon through security into the so-called sterile area of ​​the airport, it is a federal crime.

Retired TSA agent Keith Jeffries said the discovery of the weapons could also delay other passengers in line.

“It’s a complication,” Jeffries said. “It’s a dangerous and prohibited item, and let’s be honest: you should know where your weapon is, for God’s sake.”

Experts and officials say the increase in interceptions simply reflects more Americans carrying guns.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry group, tracks FBI data on completed background checks for gun sales. The numbers were just over 7 million in 2000 and reached 16.4 million last year. They have increased even more during the coronavirus pandemic.

For TSA agents looking for prohibited items, it can be scary.

In Atlanta, Janecia Howard was using the x-ray machine when she realized she was looking at a gun in a passenger’s laptop bag. He immediately identified it as a “serious threat” item and the police were notified.

Howard said she froze and feared the passenger was trying to reach for the gun. It turned out the passenger was an executive who apologized profusely and said he had just forgotten. Howard said he understands traveling can be stressful, but people should be careful when planning a flight.

“You have to be vigilant and be careful,” he said. “It’s your property.”

On a busy day, some 85,000 people pass through security at Atlanta airport, one of the busiest in the world. There, the highest number of weapons were intercepted in 2022, 448, although the figure is lower than the previous year. Robert Spinden, the top TSA official in Atlanta, said the agency and the airport have been working hard to try to deal with the large number of weapons intercepted in 2021.

An incident in November 2021 reinforced the need for these efforts. A TSA agent saw a possible weapon in a passenger’s bag. When the officer opened the suitcase, the man reached for the gun, which exploded. People rushed to the exits and the airport was closed for two and a half hours, the center’s chief executive, Balram Bheodari, said in a statement to Congress last year.

Authorities have put up new signage to draw the attention of gun owners. A tag above a control displays an image of a weapon in blue with a red circle and a line through it. Many 70-inch screens display rotating messages indicating that weapons are not allowed.

“There are signs all over the airport. There are commercials, holograms, televisions. That’s quite a bit of information that’s been floating around just to try to remind you in a last ditch attempt that if you have a gun, do you know where it is?” Spinden said.

Miami Airport has also tried to get owners’ attention. The airport manager told Congress last year that after breaking their record for weapons intercepted in 2021, they had installed highly visible signage and were working with airlines to warn passengers. The number of weapons intercepted has dropped dramatically, he noted.

Pekoske said signage is only part of the solution. Travelers are already surrounded by a deluge of billboards and advertisements and don’t always pay attention. He is also in favor of increasing penalties to get people’s attention.

But Aidan Johnston, of gun advocacy group Gun Owners of America, said he would like to see the fines reduced as they are not a deterrent. While he would like to see more education for the new owners, he also didn’t believe it was a “huge hideous crime.”

“These are not bad people who need to be punished harshly,” he said. “These are people who made a mistake.”

Authorities believe they can spot the vast majority, but with 730 million passengers screened every year, even a small percentage that goes unnoticed is a concern.

Musician Cliff Waddell was traveling from Nashville, Tennessee, to Raleigh, North Carolina, last month when he was stopped at a security checkpoint. A TSA agent had seen a gun in his bag. Waddell was so surprised that he first said that it was not possible, because the day before he had flown with the same bag. It turned out that the weapon was in the bag but had not been identified at the control. The TSA admitted the error, and Pekoske said it was being investigated.

When he tried to determine how the gun he keeps locked in the car’s glove compartment got into the bag, Waddell realized he had taken it out to take the vehicle to the store. Waddell acknowledged that it was his responsibility to find out where his gun was, but he was concerned the TSA had missed something so important.

“It was a shock to me,” he said.