#Tsa

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released a report that shows that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has found more guns than any other airport in the United States so far in 2023. As of June 30, 2023, TSA officers have found 214 guns at Hartsfield-Jackson, which is on pace to be a record. The vast majority of passengers who have had guns found in their carry-on bags say they forgot they were there after being found at security checkpoints. After a firearm is found, TSA officers notify airport police, who take the firearm and passenger to the airport precinct. Passengers who bring guns to the security checkpoint face civil penalties, and they may also be subject to criminal citations.

With air travel slowly returning to normal and the spring and summer season spurring on increased travel across the United States, I thought it might be fitting to give you all a reminder of what is at stake every time you head to the TSA checkpoint at your departing airport. A recent news story posted by Idaho Fall’s Local News 8 (KIF) reported that a passenger traveling from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City, UT had a Glock 43X in their carry-on luggage which prompted TSA to contact airport law enforcement who then questioned the traveler and then let them continue to their destination. This marks the second time this year that the relatively small airport has found a firearm in a passenger’s carry-on bag while they were attempting to get through the TSA checkpoint.

In this episode of TFBTV, James reviews the TSA databases and the FAA traveler traffic reports to figure out which airports found the most guns at TSA security checkpoints in 2019. While it’s easy to predict which airports may have taken the most firearms from passengers, James dives deeper, looking into which airports took the most guns per ticketed passenger, rather than the most guns total. James considered only those airports that confiscated at least 50 guns from passengers in 2019, leaving about 30 airports to look at nationally. Check out the list.

It has emerged that on 3 January at Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport, a passenger with a firearm was able to board an aircraft despite having passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport with 104 million passengers passing through it annually.

For a couple of weeks now, we’ve been talking about Flying with Firearms ( Part 1 and Part 2) here on TFB.  Hopefully, many of you who have yet to try this are now considering it, armed with knowledge and advice to help prevent problems from ruining your travel day.

The first installment in this series of three articles concerning flying with firearms gave a rundown of what treatment you can anticipate at most airports when you’re checking a gun case as luggage.  We discussed how things tend to go smoothly and how you can usually expect your firearms to greet you at your destination with little difficulty.

A hearty welcome to Deviant Ollam, of The CORE Group, as he contributes a 3-part series about “Flying with Firearms”. As a well-known security lecturer, trainer, and gun aficionado, he brings the most complete knowledge dump you will find anywhere on the web of how to take your firearms with you when you fly.  He is a long time reader of TFB and will likely answer questions you may have in the comments.

We at TFB realize the substantial work that the Transportation Security Administration does to protect the skies above the United States, on a 24/7 basis. However, the frustrations and tribulations of one being passionate about firearms can cause concerns at the airport. We’ve covered flying with actual firearms very thoroughly in a post about a legal expert explaining the issue, and even confiscated firearms. However, something that has arisen to the attention of TFB is the laws governing parts. I went through an experience back in October, but have always been of the opinion that a magazine, a scope, maybe a stock weren’t items that the TSA cared about. Actual ammunition and firearms are of course something that we need to be aware of when transiting through airports, but mere parts?

The Transportation Security Administration releases a week in review showing what prohibited items they recovered the week prior. There have been some doozies and they did a pretty decent job of putting together a weirdest finds video for last year, but what I saw when I opened the email this time took me a bit off guard and made me really question the intelligence of some travelers.

If you have done any amount of flying, it is no secret that people are stupid. Like, really stupid. Passing through a TSA checkpoint enrages me to the point that I appear to be smuggling a sub sandwich in my forehead. In reality, it is nothing more than a large vein pulsating in anger.

At the beginning of the summer I had considered putting together a brief reminder on how to properly travel with firearms on commercial airlines. Although I think a refresher is still needed, the majority of guns that turn up in carry-on baggage appear to be the result of avoidable carelessness. However, a recent find by airport screeners was a little out of the ordinary. According to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Blog, a 3D printed revolver was detected at a security checkpoint for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

I routinely follow the TSA Blog. I travel for work and get to interact with the airline industry more often than I would like.

Nobody could accuse me of being a fan of the TSA. I have been groped and yelled at to many times by TSA agents (I will post my favorite TSA story below), but I have to admit I like their new Instagram account that shows some of the weapons they have confiscated from peoples carry-on.