The amount of firearms detected by TSA officers at borough airport checkpoints in 2014 dropped compared to 2013.
Photo Courtesy of TSA
While the national numbers saw a significant increase, the amount of firearms detected last year by Transportation Security Administration staff at borough airports actually dropped slightly.
In 2014, authorities caught five firearms at John F. Kennedy International Airport checkpoints, down from 10 in 2013. At LaGuardia Airport, two guns were detected all of last year, compared to four in 2013. In fact, the seven airports in the New York City/New Jersey region saw a decrease in the number of firearms detected by TSA officers at checkpoints in 2014—dipping to 13 in 2014 from 21 in 2013.
According to TSA officials, 2,212 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints across the country in 2014; up 22 percent from the previous year. Of those guns, 83 percent were loaded.
The “vast majority” of passengers questioned about the firearms indicated they forgot it was in their bag, the TSA said.
The agency also screened nearly 15 million more passengers in 2014—653,487,270 total—than in 2013. It scrutinized more than 443 million checked bags and nearly 1.7 billion carry-on bags in 2014. Additionally, more than 40 percent of passengers screened received some form of expedited screening last year. Nationwide, less than one half of 1 percent of passengers waited in a checkpoint line longer than 20 minutes in 2014.
By Michael V. Cusenza
