Approximately 39,229 passengers were screened before getting on planes at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport last year. None were carrying firearms.
Some were carrying knives, though, according to Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Sari Koshetz. She did not have an exact number.
Passengers found carrying knives and other prohibited items have the chance to pack the item in one of their checked bags. Those who choose not to may leave the items behind and never see them again. These items are known as “voluntarily abandoned property,” according to Koshetz. Most abandoned property at GTRA consists of pocket knives, corkscrew knives, tools and various other kinds of knives.
TSA personnel take the property to Jackson-Evers International Airport, where it is picked up by a state surplus agency.
A total of 17 guns were confiscated at Mississippi airports in 2014. In 2013, 22 were confiscated, according to Koshetz.
Nationally, the number of firearms discovered in carry-on bags increased by 22 percent, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
“Unfortunately, as we get further and further away from 9/11, people are not paying as much attention (to what they put in their carry-on bags) as they should,” Koshetz said.
Any time a TSA officer finds a gun, law enforcement gets involved. Even if law enforcement does not press criminal charges, the passenger could face civil penalties by the TSA. Fines for packing a gun in carry-on luggage can be up to $11,000, according to Koshetz.
No firearms have been found at GTRA during the last two years. Some passengers have been caught with ammunition in their carry-ons, though, according to Koshetz.
She added that loaded firearms in carry-on bags can have fatal consequences even if those consequences were unintentional. Loaded guns can go off accidentally, injuring or killing officers or other passengers.
The TSA has posted a list of prohibited items at tsa.gov.
Firearms, gasoline, fireworks, knives and explosives are prohibited on flights, as are several types of sporting equipment like baseball bats and ski poles, and realistic replicas of explosives and firearms.
Things that are not prohibited include tennis rackets and snow globes containing less than 3.4 ounces of liquid, provided the entire snow globe, base included, fits in the standard clear, quart-sized, plastic resealable bags which shampoo and other liquids must fit in to be allowed in a carry-on bag.
To simplify the packing process, the TSA has created a “Can I Bring” app. Passengers with a question about a certain item can pull up the app on their phones and type the name of the item they have questions about in the search box. The app will then tell passengers whether the item is allowed.
In all, the TSA screened approximately 653,487,270 passengers in the U.S. in 2014.
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