Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the federal agency responsible for civil transportation security in United States, announced that in 2021 it confiscated a record number of 5.972 firearms during passenger boarding checks, in 268 airports.
"It's a record of all times, ”said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. And to add: " The reason? I think there are only more gun permits in the country. This is the best answer I can give . ” The previous record dates back to 2019, when 4.432 firearms were confiscated at US airport security checkpoints. In 2021, 85% of firearms were confiscated loaded with ammunition. The most important catch airports were Atlanta (ATL), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston (IAH).
In the United States, the law allows gun owners to take the weapon on the plane, provided it is unloaded, placed in a closed box and separated from ammunition. It must be carried in a suitcase registered in the hold. Upon boarding the cabin, passengers caught in possession of loaded or unloaded firearms with accessible ammunition are subject to fines ranging from $ 3.000 to $ 10.000. "It's a pretty costly mistake.", Concludes the TSA administrator.