
In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) seized a record number of guns at airport security checkpoints this year. The report published on Friday (December 16) mentioned that as of December 16, the agency has stopped 6,301 firearms, and more than 88 per cent of them were loaded. The number is alarming amid a rise in gun violence in the country.
In the official release, the agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security also mentioned that number has surpassed the previous record of 5,972 firearms detected in 2021.
TSA, which has authority over the security of transportation systems within and connecting to the United States, expects to prevent about 6,600 firearms in carry-on bags from entering the secure area of airports by the end of 2022.
The number in 2022 is nearly a 10 per cent increase over 2021's record level.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, "I applaud the work of our Transportation Security Officers who do an excellent job of preventing firearms from getting into the secure area of airports, and onboard aircraft."
"Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags at the checkpoint and onboard aircraft. When a passenger brings a firearm to the checkpoint, this consumes significant security resources and poses a potential threat to transportation security, in addition to being very costly for the passenger," Pekoske added.
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In America, firearm possession laws are different in different states, depending upon the local government. But notably, TSA has never allowed carrying firearms in carry-on bags at the security checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed weapon permit.
Gun ownership in the US has grown significantly over the last several years and officials have raised concerns after multiple incidents of gun violence in recent years.
Therefore, to prevent the threat of firearms at checkpoints, TSA has increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950.
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