TSA Releases Staggering Numbers About Confiscated Firearms At Airports
By Tom Mustin
DENVER (CBS4) - Travelers at Denver International Airport had a lot to say about the staggering numbers just released by the Transportation Security Administration.
"Wow, that's crazy, that's really shocking," said passenger Patty Daly.
TSA spokesperson Mike England said in the past week agents confiscated 70 firearms -- 60 that were loaded -- from airport security checkpoints nationwide, including DIA.
Along with the guns, the TSA also intercepted replica grenades and knives.
"We're just trying to educate people and let them know if they do bring a dangerous item on an airplane, through a TSA checkpoint, they will be caught," England told CBS4's Tom Mustin.
Passenger Steve Goodman says he applauds the TSA.
"I'm actually quite surprised they discovered that many loaded guns," Goodman said.
He's encouraged by the surprising number of weapons seized.
"It actually makes me feel a little safer that they are finding people that are illegally carrying firearms," he told Mustin. "I'm a proponent of the Second Amendment, but at the same time, this is not the place to bring loaded ammunition."
The TSA says 2016 has been a record year for airline passengers. More weapons have come with the increased traffic. England says carelessness rather than terrorism has been the biggest factor.
"The reason we're given from passengers is that they just forgot it was there," he said.
Many of those passengers have legal guns, but failed to store them properly for air travel. And with safety in the skies a major concern, Goodman says he'd rather be safe than sorry.
"I worked in New York during 9/11. I'm very familiar with what can happen when we don't keep our airlines safe. So I'm a big proponent of keeping our airlines as safe as we can," he said.
Firearm possession laws vary from state to state. If you have any questions about properly traveling with guns, log on to tsa.gov.
Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.
