From Jan. 1st to Dec. 26th in 2013, the TSA saw a 20 percent increase from the previous year in the amount of guns it confiscated in the U.S. from passengers trying to smuggle them into their carry-ons.
In 2013, a total of 1,828 guns -- the highest amount recorded since the TSA began tracking smuggled firearms -- were confiscated across the nation's airports, according to a recently released analysis of TSA data by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
The increase in seized handguns is the third and largest annual jump since 2010.
While it's legal for travelers to transport unloaded firearms as checked baggage, it is illegal to carry a handgun aboard a commercial airliner. The TSA has to notify local authorities when a gun is discovered at security checkpoints, who determine whether to make an arrest, issue a ticket or take other action.
Of the guns seized, 84 percent were loaded and one in three of those guns already had a bullet in the chamber, prepared to fire.
In first days of 2014, the TSA already confiscated at least 27 guns, 21 of which were loaded and five had rounds chambered.
Here are the top 10 airports with the most gun confiscations last year:
In 2013, a total of 1,828 guns -- the highest amount recorded since the TSA began tracking smuggled firearms -- were confiscated across the nation's airports, according to a recently released analysis of TSA data by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
The increase in seized handguns is the third and largest annual jump since 2010.
While it's legal for travelers to transport unloaded firearms as checked baggage, it is illegal to carry a handgun aboard a commercial airliner. The TSA has to notify local authorities when a gun is discovered at security checkpoints, who determine whether to make an arrest, issue a ticket or take other action.
Of the guns seized, 84 percent were loaded and one in three of those guns already had a bullet in the chamber, prepared to fire.
In first days of 2014, the TSA already confiscated at least 27 guns, 21 of which were loaded and five had rounds chambered.
Here are the top 10 airports with the most gun confiscations last year:
