TSA reports increase in guns caught at checkpoints in 2021
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped 19 handguns at Upstate New York airport security checkpoints in 2021.
The TSA says in comparison, it caught 13 in 2020.
All were caught during routine carry-on baggage screenings.
Nationwide, the TSA reported catching 5,972 guns at security checkpoints in 2021—up from 3,257 in 2020.
That’s a rate of just 10.2 firearms per million passengers in 2021.
It is legal to travel with guns, but the TSA only allows them in checked bags and travelers must have proper permits, which vary from state to state.
Click here for more information about how to legally travel with a firearm on a plane to avoid the criminal charges and civil penalties that come with attempting to bring a gun through a TSA checkpoint.