WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration is on pace this year to again break the record for the number of guns intercepted at airport security checkpoints, underscoring a persistent challenge for security officials amid brisk gun sales in the United States.
So far this year, T.S.A. officers have already discovered more than 4,600 guns at airport checkpoints, and about 87 percent of them were loaded, according to the agency. Last year, the T.S.A. found nearly 6,000 guns at airport checkpoints, which itself was a record. The number of guns discovered at security checkpoints has been trending upward for more than a decade, with the only decrease coming during the pandemic.
The slew of guns found at the nation’s airports this year have come as air travel in the United States is nearing a return to prepandemic levels. Gun sales in the country have surged in recent years, suggesting that some travelers may be unfamiliar with the rules for carrying firearms while traveling by plane.
“Entering a checkpoint with a firearm, particularly a loaded one, is an expensive mistake,” said Carter Langston, a T.S.A. spokesman.
When a gun is found at a checkpoint, the T.S.A. does not seize it. Instead, agents are instructed to call law enforcement to handle the situation. There is no federal criminal penalty for passengers caught with a gun at a checkpoint, but the T.S.A. can impose a fine of up to about $14,000 and the loss of PreCheck membership — which allows for expedited security screening — for up to five years.
Gun Violence in America
- 2022 Mass Shootings: Gun violence is a persistent American problem. A partial list of mass shootings this year offers a glimpse at the scope.
- Spike in Permits: Hundreds of people in New York rushed to get permits to carry concealed handguns in public before a new gun law went into effect in the state, in an effort to avoid the training and paperwork required by the legislation.
- A City Awash in Guns: Alarms have sounded about gun violence across the country over the past two years, but Philadelphia is one of the few major American cities where it truly is as bad as it has ever been.
- Warning Signs: While some mass shootings are committed by people with mental illnesses, experts believe that a life crisis may be a better predictor that a person may become violent.
Potential criminal charges, if any, vary by state. In Texas, law enforcement officials often tell travelers to get out of line, lock their guns in their…
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