TSA Gun Seizures Up 400 Percent in Last Decade

Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of guns found at TSA checkpoints, the agency is publicly urging passengers not to bring weapons to the airport.

Every week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recaps the long list of prohibited items seized by officers at airport security checkpoints across the United States. The TSA Week in Review column makes a fascinating read. Last week alone, the agency reported finding 43 firearms, a machete and octagonal sais martial arts weapons. The TSA also discovered that a passenger left behind a gold Cartier diamond-encrusted watch valued at $100,000 at a Newark International Airport (EWR) checkpoint.

Past reports have included replica land mines, hand grenades, avalanche control charges and Chinese throwing stars.

The TSA makes a point of noting that there is a far more serious reason for publicizing the list of bizarre items passengers have attempted to take through security, calling it “a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home.”

“Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions,” the TSA states. “Each time we find a dangerous item, the line is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested.”

CBS News reports that the TSA has recorded a drastic uptick in the number of passengers caught trying to board commercial flights with weapons. More than 2,200 guns were seized last year, an almost 400 percent increase from the 660 guns found by the agency in 2005.

“Probably the most common excuse is, ‘I didn’t know it was there,'” TSA spokesperson Kevin McCarthy told CBS News. “I think there’s a personal responsibility for any gun owner, that they ought to be aware of the rules, where they can and can’t take it.”

Certain weapons are permitted as checked luggage, if declared and stored in hard-sided cases separate from any ammunition. The TSA urges passengers to check with airlines before showing up at the airport with weapons in any circumstance.

[Photo: TSA]