MIAMI — Three Florida airports were among the top 10 for weapons seizures in the United States in 2019, a year in which authorities confiscated more firearms than at any other time since the formation of the Transportation Security Administration.
According to the TSA, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was seventh on the list, with 100 weapons confiscated. Orlando was 9th with 96 confiscated and Tampa 10th with 87.
The airport with the most seizures was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta with 323, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth with 217; Denver International with 140; George Bush Intercontinental with 138 and Phoenix Sky Harbor International with 132.
TSA agents found three guns at the Portland International Jetport last year, and another this month.
Dallas Love Field Airport was in sixth place with 103 seizures and Nashville International Airport was eighth with 97.
TSA said its agents discovered “more firearms in control points across the country in 2019 than ever before in the 18-year history of the agency. In all, 4,432 firearms were found in hand luggage or passengers – an average of about 12.1 firearms per day.
That was an increase of about 5 percent over the 4,239 firearms detected across the nation in 2018.
Seven percent of the firearms detected last year at control points were loaded, the TSA report added.
The agency noted that passengers who bring firearms to control points are subject to criminal charges by police as well as civil sanctions by TSA. It added that even if the travelers have licenses to carry firearms, they cannot take them aboard airplanes.
Travelers who do have licenses can put their firearms and ammunition in checked-in luggage if they follow simple safety regulations.
TSA recommends that people become familiar with state and local laws on firearms to ensure they have the proper licenses required at their destinations.
Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition, so travelers should also consult with the airlines they have booked before turning up at the airport.
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