TSA recovers record number of firearms in first nine months of 2021

Transportation Security Administration officers stopped 4,495 passengers attempting to carry firearms through airport security checkpoints in the first nine months of 2021, the agency announced Wednesday. That's up from 4,432 stops in 2019 and sets a 20-year record.

Officers found firearms at 248 different airports across the country. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had the most discoveries with 391, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with 232 and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston with 168, the agency said.

Eleven firearms were discovered in a carry-on bag per every million passengers screened in the U.S. so far this year. TSA said the penalty for attempting to bring a firearm through airport security varies per case.