The Transportation Security Administration seized a record number of guns at airport security screening checkpoints last year.
TSA officers found 6,737 firearms at checkpoints, breaking last year’s record of 6,542 firearms.
Around 93% of the firearms seized were loaded.
“TSA officials are concerned that the majority of individuals with firearms claim they forgot that their gun was in their carry-on bag,” a TSA spokesperson said.
“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times.”
TSA officers man checkpoints at 265 airports nationwide and last year screened a total of 858 million travelers.
Bringing a firearm into an airport is liable to a civil penalty of up to $15,000.
A traveler’s TSA PreCheck membership can also be revoked.
The agency also announced its top weird finds in passenger baggage during 2023.
It included marijuana hidden inside a diaper at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, a knife hidden in a prosthetic foot in Anchorage and an explosive in an energy drink at Tulsa.
