Tennessee sets new record for gun confiscations at airports
Chattanooga violations also take a big jump in 2021
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) – As air travel rebounded in 2021, so did gun confiscations.
In fact, the TSA reports we broke records for the number of weapons they found in carry-on luggage last year.
Nashville’s airport lead the way by setting a new all-time mark of 163 guns found.
That beat the number found in all of Tennessee’s airports last year.
Chattanooga also saw a big jump, almost equaling the seizures from the previous 3 years in 2021.
Here are the TSA confiscation numbers for the last 4 years in Tennessee.
Airport code | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Nashville International Airport (BNA) | 86 | 97 | 94 | 163 |
Memphis International Airport (MEM) | 47 | 46 | 48 | 67 |
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) | 16 | 26 | 7 | 21 |
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 24 |
Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
Tennessee total: | 162 | 181 | 162 | 283 |
National total: | 4,239 | 4,432 | 3,257 | 5,972 |
The TSA reports they saw an 88% jump in air passenger volume in Tennessee in 2021.
They also found that Tennesseans were two and a half times more likely to have a gun in their carry-on than the national average.
Firearms are NOT permitted in your carry-on baggage, even if you have a concealed weapons permit.
You can face a fine and possible criminal charges.
The TSA says “Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage.”
And you need to declare the gun and ammunition at the ticket counter before going through screening.
Not surprisingly, the South and West dominate the list of top gun confiscations at U.S. airports.
And Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson is the clear leader:
Top 10 airports with guns caught by TSA at checkpoints in 2021 | ||
Rank | Airport (Code) | Total |
1 | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) | 507 |
2 | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) | 317 |
3 | Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | 245 |
4 | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) | 196 |
5 | Nashville International Airport (BNA) | 163 |
6 | Denver International Airport (DEN) | 141 |
7 | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) | 128 |
8 | Orlando International Airport (MCO) | 124 |
9 | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) | 119 |
10 | Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | 115 |
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