While carrying a bottle of water on board a plane is prohibited, numerous individuals, both knowingly and unknowingly, attempt to bring guns on board.
Earlier in the week, a woman from Connecticut walked through security with her child at New York’s JFK airport while carrying a loaded gun in her purse with “one in the chamber,” according to officials. In the days that followed, several incidents were reported, including an X-ray machine detecting a 9mm pistol and ammunition in a passenger’s hand luggage at Philadelphia, a man attempting to board a plane at New York’s Westchester airport with a .45 caliber handgun and seven bullets in his carry-on bag, and a loaded weapon being carried through screening in Wisconsin.
Within just two days at Columbus International Airport in Ohio, security officers confiscated two firearms. Similar arrests were made in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut as passengers attempted to carry guns through airport terminals. These incidents are only a small portion of the 18 guns that are confiscated daily, on average, from individuals passing through airport security checkpoints across the United States. This number has been steadily increasing for years and is likely to continue rising as firearms sales increase and more states permit concealed weapons, even in airports.
Despite being accustomed to removing their shoes, packing their liquids, and undergoing security screenings, thousands of passengers seem to forget that they are carrying the very object for which they are being searched in the first place.
Last year, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) seized 6,542 guns from individuals attempting to board planes at 262 airports. This is a sixfold increase since 2010, with nearly 90% of the weapons being loaded.
Jeffrey Price, former assistant director of security at Denver International Airport and co-author of a book on aviation security, stated that he was not surprised by these findings.
According to Jeffrey Price, one of the unique traits of Americans is that many people purchase weapons and then forget they even have them. He believes that every time there is an active shooter incident, more individuals become scared and buy guns, but many of these people subsequently toss the gun into their laptop bag or purse and forget about it. This forgetfulness is worrisome, as it could mean that they are leaving a bag at home with a gun inside, accessible to children.
The TSA reports that the most common explanation from passengers caught with guns is that they forgot they had it with them. This excuse is often accepted by the police. However, in one instance, a man was not believed when he claimed his mother had packed a rifle found in his bag at Baltimore airport.
Price also pointed out that there are other factors at play. Some people with permits to carry guns believe they can carry them anywhere, anytime, which is not true. Additionally, some individuals believe they can slip a gun through TSA screenings undetected.
In certain areas of the country that are supportive of gun ownership, it is not rare for individuals who have been found carrying firearms in their luggage to be allowed to place them in their car and continue with their travel plans, while in other places, criminal charges are brought against them and they are escorted out of the airport in handcuffs. Atlanta airport has the highest number of gun confiscations in the country, with more than one firearm discovered in passenger carry-on bags on a daily basis. During a congressional hearing last year, Atlanta airport manager Balram Bheodari expressed concern about the significant number of weapons seized, as 86% of them were loaded with a round in the chamber or a loaded magazine.
During a congressional hearing last year, Balram Bheodari, the manager of Atlanta airport, expressed his concern about the significant number of guns seized during his tenure. He highlighted that 86% of the confiscated weapons had a round in the chamber or a loaded magazine, which he found to be very alarming. Bheodari had to deal with an incident 15 months ago in which a passenger tried to grab a bag as a TSA agent was inspecting it, and accidentally discharged a gun, causing panic among nearby people and resulting in flight departures being suspended. In response, the airport issued a message to reassure passengers that there was no active shooter.
