Record number of guns were intercepted by TSA in 2022

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>