SALT LAKE CITY — The Transportation Security Administration reported that the Salt Lake City International Airport ranked tenth in the nation for the most firearms discovered in carry-on luggage in 2021.
Last year, 115 guns were discovered during routine X-ray screening procedures in Salt Lake City. In 2019, 83 guns were reported to have been found in carry-on luggage.
Nationwide, TSA found 5,972 firearms at 268 different airports across the country.
The reported numbers in Utah and nationwide broke records for the most firearms ever recovered in carry-on luggage.
“A record number of firearm discoveries at SLC and at airports nationwide continues to stun and disappoint,” said TSA Federal Security Director for Utah Matt Davis in a press release. “...We are even more committed to our security mission and will remain vigilant to ensure that any type of security threat does not make it into the sterile area of the airport or onto an aircraft to ensure the security of the traveling public.”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport topped the list with 507 firearm finds, the most ever recorded at any airport since the inception of TSA, the administration reports.
If a passenger does attempt to bring a gun through security, they may face civil penalties. Even if a passenger has a concealed weapons permit, firearms can only be packed in a locked, hard-sided case in checked baggage. The gun must also be unloaded.
At the SLC airport, TSA screened 7.3 million passengers and crew members in 2021, making in the 24th busiest airports for security operations.
