TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is going through its end the of year security and travel numbers, and while not completely verified, new data shows how things changed from 2021 to 2022.
In mid-December, the TSA reported that there had already been 815 guns seized from passenger carry-on bags at federalized Florida airports.
Compared to the year before, the number had gone up significantly. 666 guns were seized in 2021.
Now past the last two busy holiday travel weekends of the year, TSA is running through data from the nearly 440 federalized airports in the U.S. Preliminary numbers show that compared to 2021, the number of guns seized from passenger carry-ons had risen roughly 26%.
The preliminary total for firearms intercepted at Florida airports is “approximately 840 guns…a 26% increase in passengers bringing guns” to the federal airport checkpoints, according to a TSA spokesperson.
The new count, even if a preliminary check, is a new record. The last official number, 815 in Florida, put Tampa International Airport in the top 10 locations for carry-on gun seizures in the U.S.
As of Dec. 15, the TSA reported it had stopped 6,301 firearms nationally. Almost 90% of those were loaded.
The previous final count of firearm seizures in Florida was 666 guns in 2021. TSA said their officers are dedicated and worked through the holidays to keep firearms and other threats off of U.S. planes. The final numbers for the U.S. won’t be issued until later in January, according to TSA.
