What is the record number of guns taken away at US airports last year?

Last year, the agency responsible for airport security in the United States, the Transportation Security Administration, took away 6,542 guns from passengers. That was the most such incidents ever.



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A record 6,542 guns — 18 a day — were intercepted at U.S. airport security in 2022. A television displays a no guns sign at the Transportation Security Administration security area at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Atlanta.

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TSA confiscated record number of guns from airline passengers in 2022
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 448.
  • Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: 385.
  • George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston: 298.
  • Nashville International Airport: 213.
  • Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix: 196.


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From a pen gun to a gun hidden in peanut butter, an additional 570 firearms were found at security checkpoints in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the latest data from the national agency. Last year, 6,542 firearms were found in carry-on bags at more than 260 airports.

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Nationwide, TSA officers detected 6,542 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2022. It was a significant increase from the 5,972 detected in 2021 and a spike from the 4,432 detected in 2019 (pre pandemic). Of the guns caught in 2022, approximately 88 percent were loaded.

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There are vast amounts of weapons seized in airports each year. These confiscated weapons, such as loaded firearms, unlicensed guns, and dangerous weapons, are usually destroyed, kept as prosecution's evidence, auctioned on eBay, or sold at a state surplus warehouse store.

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A different protocol applies to illegal items such as weapons and drugs (yes, airport scanners can detect drugs). If the TSA confiscates such items from a checked or carry-on bag, they alert the local law enforcement agencies who take over the matter.

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4 Padlock holes provide the security that the TSA requires.

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What do a chainsaw, bear spray, and a meth burrito all have in common? They were all seized at United States airports last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which recently released its top confiscated items for 2021.

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According to TSA, agents find one firearm for roughly every 116,394 passengers screened at security checkpoints.

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A LEO with an operational need to travel armed must present acceptable credentials to the airline as outlined in 49 CFR § 1544.219. In addition, a LEO must complete any required airline paperwork, referred to as Person Carrying Firearm (PCFA) forms.

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TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left behind at the airport checkpoint. Lost and found items retained by TSA for a minimum of thirty (30) days, and if not claimed, are either destroyed, turned over to a state agency for surplus property, or sold by TSA as excess property.

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Or, he says, it may be because they aren't frequent flyers. They aren't in the habit of checking to make sure they don't have a firearm on them when they go to the airport, as a much more experienced flyer does. Adding to the rise in guns at airports is the fact that more people in the United States have guns.

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Declare your firearm(s) at check-in. You'll then be directed to a TSA checkpoint that checks firearms in luggage. You will have to fill out a Firearms Declaration Form, so remember that serial number.

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