Record number of guns seized at U.S. airports in 2015

WASHINGTON — Federal officials say a record number of airline passengers were caught last year trying to take guns on planes, and most of the weapons were loaded.

The Transportation Security Administration says 2,653 firearms were found in carry-on bags in 2015, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, which had been a record. More than four out of five were loaded.

#TSAGoodCatch – 46 firearms were discovered last week in carry-on bags around the nation. Of the 46 firearms discovered, 37 were loaded and 13 had a round chambered. All of the firearms pictured here were discovered last week. While firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags, you can pack them in your checked baggage, as long as you meet the packing guidelines: bit.ly/travelingwithfirearms. See a complete list of firearms discovered last week at our blog by clicking on the link in our profile or visiting blog.tsa.gov.

A photo posted by TSA (@tsa) on Jan 8, 2016 at 7:26am PST

Airports with the most gun discoveries were Dallas-Fort Worth, 153; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, 144; Houston George Bush, 100; Denver, 90, and Phoenix, 73.

TSA screened 708 million passengers in 2015, 40 million more than in 2014.

Weapons of any kind are prohibited in carry-on bags. However, passengers can take guns with them when they fly if they are in checked bags, unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline.