TSA Reports Slight Increase In Guns Seized At NYC-Area Airports

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The number of guns seized at New York City-area airports increased slightly in 2018 over 2017, the Transportation Security Administration said.

TSA officers stopped 20 guns at airports in our area in 2018. That's a minute uptick from the 19 guns stopped at the same airports last year.

The increase mirrors a trend on the national level, although nationally the TSA recorded a 7 percent jump in 2018, seizing 4,239 guns from all airports in the country. Eighty six percent of the guns seized were loaded, and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber, according to officials.

The report released by the TSA shows the numbers from New York City-area airports are considerably lower than other major airports in the country. In Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport alone, nearly 300 guns were detected by TSA workers. Airports in Dallas, Phoenix and Denver also reported more than 100 guns.

In our area, the most guns were seized at Newark Liberty International Airport, where 14 were detected.

LaGuardia, JFK and Long Island's MacArthur Airport each detected two.

While guns are not permitted in carry-on luggage, they can be taken on planes if they are in checked luggage, unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked and packed separately from ammunition, which must be in its original box.

People who bring weapons to a checkpoint can be fined up to $13,000. For more information on possible penalties, click here.

For more information on how to properly travel with a gun, click here.