The Transportation Security Administration said it caught 91 guns at security checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the first six months of 2016.
That's on pace to exceed the record 144 guns caught in carry-on bags at Atlanta airport checkpoints in the full year of 2015.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
The six-month count this year puts Hartsfield-Jackson at the No. 1 spot among U.S. airports for the number of guns caught at security checkpoints.
In the No. 2 spot is Dallas/Fort Worth International, with 82 guns intercepted at checkpoints in that period. A total of 1,546 guns were caught at airport checkpoints nationwide.
Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, but other airports have more passengers going through checkpoints.
That's because total counts that make Hartsfield-Jackson the world's busiest include connecting passengers who never go through security in Atlanta. Airports in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco typically have more passengers going through checkpoints than Hartsfield-Jackson.
Travelers caught with guns at the checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson could face federal charges, as well as TSA civil penalties.
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