TSA Confiscated 20 Percent More Guns in 2013
The TSA confiscated 20 percent more guns at airports in 2013, with the Atlanta airport having the most seizures at 110, according to a new report.
An average of five guns per day was seized in airports across the nation last year according to the report by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative. Some 1,828 were confiscated in all, making it the third straight year of an increase in confiscations. Last year also marked the largest increase to date, with a 20 percent jump.
The initiative concluded that at least one gun was found in 207 airports across the country and one out of every four airports had ten or more confiscations, with Atlanta having the most at 110, said Fox News.
Phoenix had 65 confiscations, while Denver had 52. Of the ten airports in the country with the highest confiscation rates, at least 70 percent of the seized weapons were loaded, said Fox News.
Trailing behind was Dallas-Fort Worth airport with 98 guns confiscated and Bush International in Houston with 67. Nearly half of all the guns confiscated across the country were .380 and 9mm pistols.
TSA officials declined to comment on the significance of the increased confiscations, but the agency has said in previous reports that it may be due to the continuing rise in the number of weapons Americans are carrying, said Fox News.
Most of the weapons confiscated in 2013 had gun permits and were found in the carry-on luggage of passengers.
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