Passenger traffic numbers may be well down at airports but the rate of gun seizures continue to surge.
The Transportation Security Administration said the rate of guns discovered based on the number of passengers at airport security checkpoints tripled last month.
It found 300 guns in carry-on bags in July, which equates to 15.3 guns per million people screened.
That is a big jump from last year when 5.1 guns per million people were seized.
It said about 80% of the firearms were loaded.
It doesn’t include gun owners who follow normal TSA policy by packing registered weapons in hard-sided checked luggage and declare it at the airport.
"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," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
A number of theories have been cited as to why the rate of gun seizures has spiked despite a lack of passengers.
Aviation security lecturer, Jeffrey Price recently said it could be that fewer passengers means TSA screeners are checking each passenger more thoroughly, which could suggest guns are being missed during normal busy travel periods.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US editor
