The Atlanta airport is once again No. 1 — but on a rather dubious list.
There were more guns caught at Hartsfield-Jackson International security checkpoints in the first half the year than at any other airport in the country, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Hartsfield-Jackson has had the most guns intercepted in the country for the last eight years, and the world’s busiest airport appears well on its way to securing the top spot for a ninth-straight year.
There were 222 firearms discovered at the Atlanta airport in the first six months of 2024, up about 4% from 214 in the same period last year, TSA said.
The increase comes as air travel reaches record levels nationally.
The number of people screened at airports across the country in the first half the year was up 7.3% from 2023 levels. In Georgia, traveler counts have grown even faster, up 11.2% year-over-year.
Still, the rate of firearm detections in Georgia in the January-June period was more than twice the national rate. There was 1 firearm detected for every 65,828 passengers in Georgia, compared with 1 for every 135,560 passengers nationally, according to TSA.
The number of guns detected at airports across Georgia came to 249, with Hartsfield-Jackson making up the bulk of the passenger traffic and gun detections.
Nationally, there were 3,269 firearms detected at airport security checkpoints in the first half this year, with more than 94% of them loaded.
Firearms and ammunition are prohibited in carry-on bags on airlines. Passengers can travel with an unloaded gun if properly packed in a locked, hard-sided case in their checked bag and declared before flying at the airline check-in counter.
When a gun is detected at an airport checkpoint, TSA notifies Atlanta police to respond to the checkpoint.
Those caught with guns at airport checkpoints could also face civil fines of up to about $15,000. TSA also says those caught can lose their eligibility for the TSA PreCheck trusted traveler program for up to five years.
Earlier this year, Major Kelley Collier, who is the airport commander for the Atlanta Police Department, said those caught with unholstered, loaded guns would be charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor.
