CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says the number of guns detected at TSA checkpoints at upstate New York airports increased in 2022.
In the upstate region, TSA officers stopped 23 handguns at security checkpoints in 2022, and increase from 21 discovered in 2021.
In each instance, the guns discovered by officers were during routine screenings of carry-on luggage at airport security checkpoints. At the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, five firearms were detected in 2022. That's down from 2021 when seven were detected.
Nationwide, the TSA said the trend continued of more firearms being detected at security checkpoints:
- 2022 - 6,542
- 2021 - 5,972
- 2019 - 4,432
Nearly 90% of the guns detected were loaded. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had the highest number of guns detected at the security checkpoint with 448, followed by Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport with 385 and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport with 298.
“I commend the officers who have continued to perform their security duties at the highest level,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “Our officers remain vigilant and focused on their mission to ensure that travelers get to their destinations safely.”
Last month, the TSA said it was raising the maximum fine to $14,950.
The TSA says passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in their checked baggage, but they must be unloaded and packed in a locked, hard-side case. Ammunition must be in its original box and declared at the ticket counter.
For more information on traveling with firearms, check out the TSA's website.
