TSA seizes record number of guns

Airport security officials confiscated a record number of guns this year while also finding grenades, a Samurai sword and even a canon barrel in travelers’ luggage.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports a record-setting 1,903 firearms have been confiscated so far this year, already more than last year. Nearly 80 percent of the weapons were loaded.

In most cases, travelers simply forget they have a gun in their carry-on bag, which is a costly mistake. TSA fines passengers $3,000 for bringing a loaded gun into an airport, and $1,500 for an unloaded gun. About 20 percent of these passengers are arrested.

“Even if a passenger isn’t arrested, one could make the conclusion that this is probably going to cost more than their roundtrip ticket,” a TSA official told The Hill.

{mosads}The number of guns TSA confiscates each year has nearly tripled since 2005, when the agency collected only 660 guns at airports around the country. In 2013, the number had grown to 1,813 weapons.

The TSA announced last week it has already collected more weapons in 2014 than it has in any previous year. But the number continues to grow.

Texas seems to be the biggest offender when it comes to passengers bringing guns to the airport.

In Dallas, 144 guns have been confiscated between the city’s two airports, while 106 guns have been discovered at Houston airports.

Airports in Atlanta, Phoenix and Denver top out the list of cities where the most guns have been confiscated.

Some of the guns confiscated across the country have included assault rifles, but the TSA’s haul of weaponry doesn’t stop at guns.

“We continue to find inert grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis,” TSA blogger Bob Burns wrote. “Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a real bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited.”

At a Hawaii airport, security officials even found an unloaded cannon barrel packed in a passenger’s checked bag.

“Our officers have discovered cannonballs in the past, but this is the first cannon I can recall,” Burns said.

The TSA has also confiscated items such as a Claymore mine replica, brass knuckles and a cane sword.