The Transportation Security Administration just released it’s tally of firearms discovered at airport checkpoints in 2015. In spite of “responsible gun ownership” rhetoric the numbers prove there is an epidemic of irresponsible firearm ownership in this country and the trend is going the wrong way.
TSA noted a 20% increase in airport firearm discoveries from 2014.
The report includes a list of the top 10 airports for gun discoveries in 2015. You’d think the busiest airport in the nation (Atlanta) would top the list but it’s actually 10th in gun discoveries.
Sorting the list by guns discovered per passenger reveals some big differences in gun carrying passengers in airports. Guess where the most least responsible gun owners are concentrated? (Put a cowboy hat on the fellow above and find out below.)
“Houston (Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin) we have a problem...”
Notice the cluster on the handy little map?
If you drill down into TSA numbers and passenger loads a bizarre thing stands out.
TSA discovered up to 8 times more guns per passenger in the screening line in Texas as they found in say California or New York.
In fact, based on the TSA’s numbers, 5 of the 6 highest rates of guns discovered per passenger occur in Texas airports. (Nashville has some responsible gun owner issues as well.)
At Dallas Love Field one gun is caught per 79,339 passengers. At LAX* it’s one per 659,888 passengers.
* Since only the top ten by gun discovery are listed we generously assumed the rest were tied with the lowest of the Top Ten, or 52 guns discovered at each of the remaining airports.
People trying to carry on weapons (intentionally or not) has become such a common occurrence that it has spawned a mini industry for helping people evade the fine after being caught.
So how long before the gun lobby solves this problem by calling for the right to carry weapons on commercial flights? Ooops, they already are!
“The answer to deterring or stopping in-flight terrorism: armed [non-law enforcement] Americans on board.”
Okay, can’t relax in school, at the movies, at a hotel, at a wildlife refuge, in a national park, at church, what the…?