By Steve Neavling
The TSA seized nearly 6,000 guns at airport checkpoints nationwide in 2021, a record amount for a single year and a 35% increase over the previous year.
The TSA said 86% of the 5,972 guns were loaded.
The most firearms – 507 – were seized at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The second most – 317 – were discovered at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport came in third, with 245 firearms.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
4. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 196
5. Nashville International airpot, 163
6. Denver International Airpot, 141
7. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 128
8. Orlando International Airport, 124
9. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 119
10. Salt Lake City International Airport, 115
The number of firearms discovered at checkpoints has been increasing nearly every year since 2008: