TSA found a record number of guns at airport security checkpoints in 2023. Almost all of them were loaded.
TSA found a record number of guns at airport security checkpoints in 2023. Almost all of them were loaded.
The number of guns found by TSA officers last year was the highest annual total for the agency since it was created in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
People who are dumb enough to try taking a loaded gun onto an airplane are lacking the mental capacity to own a gun without endangering other people. In civilized countries, this usually will lead to a revocation of your firearms licence.
License? Some states just kind of give you access to firearms for being able to breathe, right?
I’d argue driving might be more than they could handle.
I have no idea how anyone can "forget" they are carrying. I carried fairly regularly for years before letting my CCW expire during COVID. And I was always VERY aware that I was carrying, checked regularly to make sure I wasn't printing, and what places allowed and didn't allow carrying.
To me, forgetting you are carrying a gun and going to the airport is a negligent as leaving your gun in a bathroom. It shows you are not treating it with the respect and caution that should be required in order to own a gun.
EDIT: Clarified that I carried for years and made sure I wasn't printing.
It's just complacence. Doing the same thing every day. It's just a habit. People probably forget. That's not an excuse at all , in fact, I'd say that becoming complacent with a firearm is extremely bad in any circumstance.
checked regularly to make sure I was printing,
Either this is a spell correct or I simply don't understand the sentence...
I've had issues with pocket knives I forgot I couldn't take through security. I assume it's that same with any object a person carries habitually.
I don't know about forgetting weapons.
But forgetting you have something on you on general pretty easy. I mean it doesn't necessarily be on you I am gonna expect the truly forget ones probably was on a bag or similar that they didn't remember they put something there the other day.
I'm just happy they found them. Historically, the TSA doesn't do a good job finding guns.
Maybe they’re still just as bad, they just had a lot more chances
Now just think of all the loaded guns that they didn't catch
Well, that is an entirely different point. TSA is 99% security theater to make people feel safe. If they found a record number of weapons, but on the other hand miss most of them anyway, did they miss a record number of weapons, too?
We shouldn’t need to issue PSAs about not bringing your gun in your carry on, but here we are.
No need for a psa just enact law that makes someone this reckless and absent minded ineligible to own firearms. The problem will stop real quick with that.
It's because TSA calls the cops and cops decide if they charge.
If the TSA brought federal charges everytime, people would stop "forgetting"
Should be ineligible to own after that AND get a big fucking fine and/or jail time.
You have to think most of these guns were brought by accident and were pistols. Most people keep their pistols loaded because they have them to kill other people if necessary. An unloaded gun is less lethal. People who carry all the time seem to get careless after a while. Inb4 stories of people with pistols just for snakes or bears or whatever, that is definitely not the most common use case. I know someone who had a gun in his bag and they charged him like $500ish dollars to mail it back to himself and threatened him with fines up to $2000 but there were no additional fines levied.
You have to think most of these guns were brought by accident and were pistols.
While that is certainly true, it doesn't make it much better. It means that a bunch of people are forgetting what they've done with their loaded firearms when they go to the airport. Seems to me that if you are a responsible gun owner, you'd damned well better know where your gun is at all times, especially if it's loaded.
It depends on the culture within each state.
I worked with a guy from Florida who was telling us that legit everyone in Florida carried a gun, and that it was so common to keep one on you that when he left for work one day and realized that he’d left his gun at home, he did a u-turn and went all the way back home to get his gun before heading on to work.
I don’t feel like that is necessary for me, but then I’ve never lived in Florida either.
To think that this guy almost died that day. Crazy. 🙄
As someone who used to live in Florida, I don't know anyone that owned a gun. I'm gonna assume that guy was probably just crazy.
Well that's most definitely quite normal... /S
At least TSA has something to do now lol
They fine $15k for every violation. They're making bank
People are so god damned stupid
One time I had a giant Costco-sized thing of Tums in my bag and they brought out the drug sniffing dog and the science kit to take one - from the still unopened bottle - and test it.
It was a minor annoyance, but I couldn’t imagine packing to go to the airport and not making sure I don’t have a loaded gun on me first. That would be the first step, before ID or whatever.
TSA does not own any drug sniffing dogs. All of their dogs are trained solely for the detection of explosives. The TSA is very open about the fact they are not looking drugs.
Huh….well I assumed drugs. Interesting!
7000 guns. With those numbers they should simply accommodate the customers. Simply provide gun locks at each checkpoint.
- "It looks like you have a gun on you, sir. Please place this gun lock on it. It will be unlocked by an agent at your destination"
- "Yes officer, I forgot I had a gun in my sock, sorry. Thank you for the lock. Bye."
Problem solved.