TSA Finds Increasing Number of Guns at Airport Checkpoints

In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, TSA agents are surrounded by travelers in lines that snake past, in Seattle. When it comes to counting passengers, Sea-Tac is the fastest growing of the top 20 airports in the United States, which is putting a strain on services and creating long lines at the security check points. A record 4 million passengers passed through the airport in June. When the numbers are counted for July, they’ll likely top June’s record and August is always a busy month of the year. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

For the second week in a row, the Transportation Security Administration has seized a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints. TSA agents confiscated 81 guns between August 12th and 18th. Of the weapons taken by officers, 70 were loaded and 31 had a round already chambered.

“People typically say they just forgot it was there,” Michael England, a TSA spokesman, tells The Trace.

Last week’s tally brings the total number of guns seized in 2016 by the TSA to 1,908, which breaks down to about eight firearms per day.

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[Photo: The Trace]