The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) found 65 firearms at airports last week, a record, according to their blog. The number of firearms found is a substantial increase from the previous record of 50 firearms.
Somewhat more troubling is that of the 65 firearms discovered by security agents, 54 of them were loaded. One agent found a fully loaded .22 caliber gun strapped to a man's prosthetic leg.
"A passenger at Salt Lake City (SLC) received a pat-down after an anomaly was detected during advanced imaging technology screening," a TSA agent writes on the blog. "During the pat-down, officers discovered a fully loaded .22 caliber firearm inside his boot and strapped to the prosthetic leg."
The passenger was arrested on the charge of "carrying a concealed weapon in a secure area."
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms, provided they are in their checked luggage, though they must declare the firearms to the airline first, as TSA frequently reminds passengers on its blog and web site. Firearm possession laws vary by state and TSA recommends checking the laws for each destination before attempting to transport firearms.
Agents also found 12 stun guns in carry-on bags in different airports nationally. Inert hand grenades were also found.
"Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not," TSA writes. This is a problem that comes up for TSA agents repeatedly.
TSA agents also report finding items hidden in strange places, such as a razorblade that was found hidden in a shoe in Dayton last week.
Some passengers don't realize the seriousness of making statements about bomb, either, as a passenger in Houston told an agent that the bottle of water in his bag was a bomb, and a passenger in Orlando said they had a bomb while presenting their identification.
The previous record of 50 firearms was set May 10.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
