Georgia smashes record for guns found at TSA checkpoints at Atlanta airport in 2021

ATLANTA — More than 500 guns were found in luggage at Atlanta’s airport last year, shattering previous years’ records for gun seizures.

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The Transportation Security Administration said a total of 542 guns were found at checkpoints at Georgia’s airports, with 507 discovered at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

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Last year, only 220 guns were found in luggage at Hartsfield’s TSA checkpoints.

In Georgia, guns were discovered on passengers at double the rate of anywhere else in the country.

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In addition to potential criminal citations, travelers face civil penalties for bringing firearms to the security checkpoints and TSA evaluates each firearm incident on a case-by-case basis.

The agency takes into account whether the gun was loaded andwhether ammunition was accessible when evaluating firearm incidents.

In November, a gun went off at a TSA checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson after a man lunged for his gun when agents found it in his bag. He was later arrested.

Attorney for man who discharged gun in Atlanta airport says it was an accident The man's attorney claims the whole incident was an accident.

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