TSA officials have said they have no idea why passengers try to carry guns with them onto planes when virtually everyone who flies knows that's forbidden. Passengers are allowed to take guns with them when they fly, but only as checked baggage. They are required to fill out a form declaring the weapons and to carry them in a hard-sided bag with a lock.
Just this week, TSA discovered 29 guns, 27 of which were loaded and nine had rounds chambered ready to be fired, according to information posted on the agency's website. Screeners have found pistols hidden in tape decks, inside boots, in the lining of carry-on bags and even one that was disguised to look like a writing pen.
Airports in the South and the West, where the American gun culture is strongest, had the greatest number of guns intercepted, according to TSA data.
Of the 12 airports with the most guns last year, five are in Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth International, 80 guns; and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, 52. Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta had the most for any airport, at 96.
Many passengers found to have guns by screeners are arrested, but not all. It depends on the gun laws where the airport is located. If the state or jurisdiction where the airport is located has tolerant gun laws, TSA screeners will frequently hand the gun back to the passenger and recommend locking it in a car or finding some other safe place for it.
TSA doesn't track what happens to the people who are arrested.
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