By Rebecca Santana -
The Associated Press
A woman preparing to catch a flight at the Philadelphia airport in Pennsylvania packed medication, her cell phone and some snacks into her overnight bag, but forgot to unpack a loaded .380 caliber pistol that she had kept in a black holster.
His is one of 6,542 weapons that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted in 2022 at airport security checkpoints across the country.
A screen displays the no-carry symbol at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 25, 2023. Brynn Anderson / AP
This is a record number, with an average of 18 seizures per day, which is of great concern considering that more and more Americans are armed.
“What we see at our checkpoints really reflects what we see in society, and in society there are more people carrying firearms today,” said David Pekoske, TSA administrator.
With the exception of 2020, the year the pandemic broke out, the number of weapons intercepted at airport checkpoints has increased annually since 2010. Experts do not believe this is an epidemic of would-be criminals - almost all those arrested say forgetting they had a gun on them - but stress the danger that even a gun in the wrong hands can pose on an airplane or in a control area.
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While weapons have been intercepted at small airports across the country like Burbank, California, or Bangor, Maine, most are detected at large airports located in states with more favorable gun laws, according to Pekoske.
The ten airports with the most identification of weapons last year are Dallas, Austin and Houston (Texas), Nashville (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia), Phoenix (Arizona), Denver (Colorado) and three located in Florida, according to the TSA.
Pekoske does not know if the "I forgot" explanation is always true or if it is a natural reaction when a person is found out.
But it is a problem that must be put an end to, she stresses.
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When TSA personnel believe they have detected a weapon through X-rays, they often stop the tape so that the bag remains inside the machine and cannot be accessed by the passenger.
Then call the local police.
Consequences vary depending on local and state laws.
The person can be arrested and his gun seized.
But sometimes they are allowed to hand the weapon over to a companion who is not flying with them and go on their way.
Unloaded weapons may also be placed in checked bags, provided proper procedures are followed.
The Philadelphia woman had her gun confiscated and a fine issued.
Those federal tickets are the TSA's tool to punish those who bring a gun to a checkpoint.
Last year, the TSA raised the maximum penalty to $14,950 as a deterrent.
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Passengers also lose their PreCheck status - which allows them to skip some types of controls - for five years.
Before it was three years, but a year ago the agency increased the term and changed the rules.
Passengers can also lose their flight, as well as their weapon.
If federal officials can show that the person intended to take the weapon past the checkpoint into what is called the sterile area of the airport, it is a federal crime.
Keith Jeffries, a retired TSA employee, said weapons interceptions can also delay other passengers in line.
"It's disturbing no matter what," he said.
Jeffries.
"It's a dangerous and prohibited item and, let's face it, you should know where your gun is, for God's sake."
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Experts and officials say the rise in gun seizures simply reflects more Americans carrying guns.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, tracks FBI data on background checks conducted for the sale of a firearm.
The numbers were just over seven million in 2000 and about 16.4 million last year.
The number was even higher during the coronavirus pandemic.
For TSA agents looking for prohibited items, it can be shocking.
In Atlanta, Janecia Howard was checking the X-ray machine when she realized she was looking at a gun in a passenger's laptop bag.
She immediately marked it as a “high threat” item and alerted the police.
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Howard said his heart felt like it had plummeted and he was worried the passenger might reach for the gun.
It was a very remorseful businessman who assured that he had forgotten that he had it on him.
The agent says she understands that traveling can be stressful, but she believes that people should be careful when preparing to take a flight.
“You have to be alert and pay attention,” he said.
"It's your property."