Growing gun culture in US; record 6,542 guns intercepted at airports in 2022

A record 6,542 guns were intercepted in 2022 at airport checkpoints across the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, reflecting the growing gun culture in the country.

The number comes to roughly 18 per day and was an all-time high for guns intercepted at US airports, sparking concern at a time when more Americans are armed.

“What we see in our checkpoints really reflects what we are seeing in society, and in society there are more people carrying firearms nowadays,” TSA administrator David Pekoske said.

Rising numbers

With the exception of pandemic-disrupted 2020, the number of weapons intercepted at airport checkpoints has climbed every year since 2010.

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Experts don’t think this is an epidemic of would-be hijackers nearly everyone caught claims to have forgotten they had a gun with them but they emphasise the danger even one gun can pose in the wrong hands on a plane or at a checkpoint.

This tends to happen more at bigger airports in areas with laws more friendly to carrying a gun, Pekoske said.

The top 10 list for gun interceptions in 2022 includes Dallas, Austin and Houston in Texas; three airports in Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; Phoenix; and Denver.

Spotting guns

When TSA staffers see what they believe to be a weapon on the X-ray machine, they usually stop the belt so the bag stays inside the machine and the passenger can’t get to it. Then they call in local police.

Repercussions vary depending on local and state laws. The person may be arrested and have the gun confiscated. But sometimes they are allowed to give the gun to a companion not flying with them and continue on their way.

Unloaded guns can also be placed in checked bags assuming they follow proper procedures.

The federal fines are the TSAs tool to punish those who bring a gun to a checkpoint. Last year, TSA raised the maximum fine to USD 14,950 as a deterrent.

Problems galore

Passengers also lose their PreCheck status it allows them to bypass some types of screening for five years. It used to be three years, but about a year ago the agency increased the time and changed the rules.

Passengers may also miss their flight as well as lose their gun. If federal officials can prove the person intended to bring the gun past the checkpoint into what is called the airports sterile area, it is a federal offense.

Retired TSA official Keith Jeffries said gun interceptions can also slow other passengers in line.

“It is disruptive no matter what,” Jeffries said. “It is a dangerous, prohibited item and, let us face it, you should know where your gun is at, for crying out loud.”

Gun culture

Experts and officials say the rise in gun interceptions simply reflects that more Americans are carrying guns.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, tracks FBI data about background checks completed for a firearm sale. The numbers were a little over 7 million in 2000 and about 16.4 million last year. They went even higher during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Robert Spinden, the TSAs top official in Atlanta, says the agency and the airport made a big effort in 2021 to try to address the large number of guns being intercepted at checkpoints.

An incident in November 2021 reinforced the need for their efforts.

A TSA officer noticed a suspected gun in a passenger’s bag. When the officer opened the suitcase, the man reached for the gun, and it went off. People ran for the exits, and the airport was shut down for 2 1/2 hours.

(With agency inputs)