PHOENIX — A record-tying 196 guns were found in luggage during TSA screenings in 2022 at Sky Harbor, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The same number of guns was also found at Sky Harbor in 2021, which is the most in the airport's history.
According to a release, a total of 230 guns were found during screenings at airports in Arizona in 2021. That is just less than the record of 233 set in 2021.
Across the country, a total of 6,542 guns were found in luggage during TSA screenings in 2022, by far exceeding previous records nationally.
“It is my hope that these statistics serve as a wake-up call for those who choose to travel with a firearm. This is not a new problem, but it is one that must be addressed since we have reached an unacceptable level of firearms coming through our security checkpoints,” said TSA Federal Security Director for Arizona Jerry Agnew. “We recommend the traveling public double-check the contents of your carry-on luggage and follow the proper procedures for traveling with firearms. Fortunately, we have a dedicated corps of TSA officers across the country who will continue to screen for weapons and other potential security threats to ensure these items do not make it into the cabin of an aircraft – for your security when you travel by air.”
Sky Harbor had the fifth most guns found in 2022. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was first with 448.
According to the TSA, firearms can be transported on an aircraft only if it is unloaded, in a locked case, and checked through an airline ticket counter.
"When a TSA officer sees the image of a firearm on the X-ray screen, TSA immediately notifies the local airport law enforcement agency, which responds to the security checkpoint," TSA said in a release. "Law enforcement removes the firearm from the X-ray tunnel and makes contact with the traveler. What happens to the firearm and the traveler is up to discretion of airport law enforcement."
For more information on traveling legally with a firearm, click here.
