Three Times as Many Passengers Are Trying to Board Planes With Guns During the Pandemic

Fewer people are flying this year because of the pandemic.

But more people who are flying are trying to bring on firearms, according to a rather scary new report from the Transportation Security Administration. According to a TSA press release, firearms in carry-on bags are being discovered at a rate three times higher this past July than in the same month in 2019, and 80 percent of the discovered firearms are loaded.

All this with 75 percent fewer passengers. Given that the security agency misses a majority of weapons going through checkpoints, the number of carry-on firearm attempts might be a lot larger.

As TSA Administrator David Pekoske rightly put it, “Travelers must understand that firearms are prohibited items at airports and in the passenger cabins of aircraft. As hard as we are working to mitigate other risks at this time, no one should be introducing new ones.”

Oddly, guns in your bag aren’t necessarily going to land you in jail. Civil penalties for bringing firearms in your carry-on range from $2,050 to $13,669, with trusted traveler status and TSA PreCheck expedited screening benefits revoked “for a period of time.”

As the blog One Mile at a Time suggests:

I understand people have varying beliefs on gun ownership in this country, but shouldn’t there be some level of personal accountability? Do people not know they can’t bring a gun on a plane? Because if so, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun. Or are people so careless with their guns that they “forget” they can’t take them onboard a plane? Because if so, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun. Or are people trying to see if they can sneak onto a plane with a gun? Because if so, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun.

There is a process for bringing in a firearm on a checked bag — the TSA requirements are outlined here.

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