Almost 700 handguns were discovered at U.S. airport carry-on baggage security checkpoints in the first half of 2012, reports Northwestern University’s Medill National Security Zone. “1 in 4 of them had a bullet loaded in the firing chamber,” a Medill analysis of federal data found. (In all, 82% of the 697 guns were loaded and 170 of those “chambered.”)
Four Texas airports — Dallas, Fort-Worth, Houston and Austin —accounted for 12% of all gun confiscations.
The majority of the weapons, one in five, seized across the entire country were .38 caliber pistols.
Firearms were not, however, the only weapons found by airport screeners. In recent weeks, everything from knives and throwing stars to grenades and a “bazooka round” were confiscated according to Medill.
The one show that might tear me away from “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant”: “I Forgot I Had a Loaded Gun in My Bag When I Went to the Airport”.
People totally forget what ‘no-no’ items they have on their person. The-Boy-Formerly-Known-As-Merlin accidentally flew across the country with a pocket full of thermite. It’s a thing.
So am I surprised about the guns? Nah. In fact, with the highest levels of discovery in Texas, I’d say it’s quite consistent with oops-I-forgot-that-bag-had-a-gun-in-it. But I’d have to look at studies…this could be fascinating.
