Record number of guns were intercepted by TSA in 2022

[Guns Save Lives]

There were 6,542 guns intercepted by the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) in 2022, reports The Associated Press. This is a new
record-high, amounting to approximately 18 guns per day in airports across
the country.

"What we see in our checkpoints really reflects what we're seeing in
society, and in society there are more people carrying firearms nowadays,"
commented TSA administrator David Pekoske. While guns were confiscated
across the country airports in Texas and Florida tended to rank higher.
However, the Atlanta airport had the highest number of interceptions.

The consequences for gun possession vary depending on state and local laws
and can span from being arrested, to being allowed to give the gun off to
someone and still fly. "It's disruptive no matter what," said retired TSA
official Keith Jeffries. "It's a dangerous, prohibited item and, let's
face it, you should know where your gun is at, for crying out loud."

Experts say that gun interceptions are likely not due to malicious intent,
but that people are simply forgetting about their firearms. "These are not
bad people that are in dire need of punishment," Aidan Johnston, from the
gun advocacy group Gun Owners of America said in reference to the range of
consequences. "These are people who made a mistake."

The statistic has sparked concern as more people are in possession of
firearms. Data shows that there were 16.4 million people completed
background checks for gun ownership last year as opposed to just 7 million
in 2000. Also, in 2023 alone there have already been close to 6,000 deaths
from gun violence, according to the non-profit research group, Gun
Violence Archive.

<https://theweek.com/gun-violence/1021151/record-number-of-guns-were-
intercepted-by-tsa-in-2022>