Record Number of Guns Seized at U.S. Airports in 2021

TSA agents at U.S. airports make unusual finds every day but some truly stand out. The Transport Security Administration published its list of the most unusual items caught at U.S. airports last year, including a chainsaw, a machete and, get this, a meth burrito.

While finding Mexican treats filled with meth is highly unusual, even for TSA agents, discovering firearms is certainly not. As of December 14, almost 5,700 firearms had been found at U.S. airport security checkpoints in 2021, another record high. While it looks like 2020 was a down year in terms of firearms discoveries, guns were actually found at a record rate of 10 firearms per million passengers screened that year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, flight traffic was just heavily disrupted in 2020, which is why the absolute number is so low.

Through the first three quarters of 2021, Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International was the top hub for firearm discoveries with 391 guns intercepted there. Dallas Fort Worth International came second with 232 guns and Phoenix Sky Harbor International ranked third with 147 discovered firearms.