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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City International Airport found fewer firearms in carry-on luggage last year than in 2013, according to statistics released Thursday by the TSA.
Nationally, the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration confiscated over 2,200 guns in 2014 — more than any year in TSA history, officials said. Violations increased by 20 percent last year and by 16 percent in 2013.
But TSA Federal Security Director Ron Malin said Utah has “bucked the trend.”
For the first time since the TSA began recording attempts to smuggle firearms through security checkpoints in 2011, Utah’s numbers have fallen. Officers at Salt Lake City International Airport found 30 guns last year, down from 34 guns in 2013.
Federal law prohibits travelers from carrying a firearm past airport security checkpoints, whether the gun is on their person or stowed in their carry-on luggage. When a baggage scan or body pat-down uncovers a gun, TSA officials immediately alert airport police, who treat the violation as a legal issue.
Customers who attempt to smuggle firearms through security will almost certainly miss their flight and are subject to weapon confiscation, arrest and fines of up to $7,500.
It's easy to see that bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is an expensive and irresponsible thing to do.
–Ron Malin, TSA security director
“I think it’s easy to see that bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is an expensive and irresponsible thing to do,” Malin said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Many would-be smugglers claim they forgot the gun was in their bag, as in the case of Overstock.com CEO Patrick Michael Byrne, who was apprehended with a .40-caliber pistol at the Salt Lake airport in 2013.
Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, has a solution for that: “It’s called planning.”
“The first thing to do is unpack before you pack,” Oda said at Thursday’s news conference. “Check every little nook and cranny. You need to know exactly what’s in your luggage before you leave your house.”
The Second Amendment enthusiast admitted to once arriving for a flight while strapped with a forgotten firearm. But he realized his mistake and was able to store the gun in his car before going through airport security.
“I can understand the human side of things,” Oda said. “But firearms have been illegal on planes for more than two decades now. There’s no reason for people to still have brain cramps. It’s just ridiculous.”
Both Malin and Oda stressed the importance of awareness in reducing these allegedly accidental violations. Malin said he would like to believe increased awareness is responsible for last year’s lower confiscation numbers, but he isn’t certain.
“I wish I knew exactly what was causing the decrease because we’d do more of whatever that was,” Malin joked.
The news conference concluded with demonstrations of how to properly pack and declare firearms when traveling. All guns and ammunition must be locked in a hard-sided case before being packed in a suitcase and formally declared at the check-in counter of the traveller's airline.
Email: aoligschlaeger@deseretnews.com Twitter: allisonoctober
