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Security check at Orlando (Florida) airport: The prohibition signs are clear
Photo: Ted Shaffrey/AP
The woman, the AP news agency reports, had snacks for the trip, her medication and a cell phone in her bag.
Much more serious, however, was what she had forgotten to unpack before her departure: a loaded handgun in a black holster.
This case from Philadelphia Airport is not an isolated case: According to the responsible authority, a total of 6,542 weapons were discovered at security checks at US airports last year.
The total represents a high and represents a development that has been affecting the United States as a whole for a long time, as AP reported on Tuesday.
"What we see at our checkpoints reflects what we see in society, and in society more people are carrying firearms these days," said David Pekoske of the Transportation Security Administration.
If you disregard the Corona years, the number of weapons discovered at security checks has increased steadily since 2010.
According to experts, those caught were not usually potential hijackers, but gun owners who, simply because of negligence, had not thought that they were still carrying a revolver or pistol.
However, experts warn that even a single weapon in the wrong hands can pose a great danger on an airplane.
Five-digit fine possible
According to authorities, most of the gun carriers were fished out at airports in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona and Colorado, states which by US standards tend to be known for their relaxed gun laws.
The development is worrying Pekoske.
He's not sure if the answer "I forgot" applies in every case - or if sometimes it's just a natural reaction to being caught.
Sometimes the gun in hand luggage can also be dangerous: when a man was discovered with a gun at Atlanta airport in 2021, a shot was fired.
After the security guard opened the bag, the passenger reached for the gun.
People ran around, the airport was closed for two and a half hours, as airport manager Balram Bheodari recently reported.
There is a special procedure at the security checkpoints for cases in which weapons are discovered: If employees discover something suspicious in the X-ray machine, they usually stop the belt so that the bag stays in the machine - and the passenger cannot get to it.
Then get reinforcements.
After the gun was discovered on the woman in Philadelphia, the gun was confiscated and the passenger was fined.
But by no means all weapons discovered are confiscated.
Depending on state law, it may also be possible to give the gun to a non-flying attendant and then board the plane yourself.
16.4 million guns sold – per year
With the fines levied in many places, the Transportation Security Administration hopes to be able to curb the number of passengers with weapons in their hand luggage.
The fine was recently increased to a maximum of $14,950.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation trade association, seven million guns were registered in the United States in 2000; in 2022 the number was around 16.4 million – and sometimes even higher during the coronavirus pandemic.
Apr/AP