TSA: Record Number of Guns in Carry-Ons Last Week

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

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The TSA says it found a record number of guns in carry-on bags last week, August 12-18. The total number of confiscated firearms was 81. An alarming 70 of those guns were loaded, and 31 had a round chambered.

The previous record was 78, and it was set … the prior week.

It should go without saying, though apparently it doesn’t go without saying, that firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags. And since we seem to need a refresher, here are some basic pointers for those looking to travel with their weapons, verbatim from the TSA:

You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only.
Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter.
The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed.
Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.

Note how it does not say you can bring firearms in your carry-on bag. Repeat: You cannot bring firearms in your carry-on bag.

In addition to the obvious security threat a loaded weapon in a carry-on bag could pose, the TSA points out that there other consequences as well, including slowed-down security lines and hefty fines for offenders. “Each time we find a dangerous item, the line is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested,” the TSA says on its blog. “The passenger can face a penalty as high as $11,000.”

It also points out that “just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions; that’s for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.”

(Really? People “simply forgot” there was a loaded weapon in their carry-on bag? That they were bringing on a plane? Really?)

Readers, what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen confiscated at a security checkpoint? Have you ever forgotten you had something in your carry-on bag that shouldn’t have been there?

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