Washington DC May 26 2013 The TSA announced a dubious record this week, reporting that it had seized 65 firearms at airport security checkpoints.The seizures buried the previous mark of 50 guns, the TSA reported, and included 54 loaded weapons -- 19 of which at rounds chambered.
Among the seizures was a firearm strapped to the prosthetic leg of a male passenger at Salt Lake City International Airport.
Authorities said the passenger received a pat-down after an anomaly was detected during advanced imaging technology screening.
During the pat-down, officers discovered a fully loaded .22 caliber firearm inside the passenger's boot and strapped to his prosthetic leg.
The man was arrested by Salt Lake City Airport Police on a state charge of "carrying a concealed weapon in a secure area."
The transportation lobbying group AAA estimates that 2.3 million travelers were expected to fly during the Memorial Day weekend.
"TSA also seized a dozen stun guns, a couple of inert grenades, some ammunition and a few razor blades," The Inquisitr reports. Are you surprised to hear that people tried to board flights with these items?
The 54 loaded guns at airports in the U.S. were confiscated which is a positive. TSA says that they release this information because it is important for passengers to know -- but they do warn that finding items like loaded guns and razor blades certainly slows down the security process.
"Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested," TSA wrote on their website.
The 54 loaded guns at the airports this week and the other items confiscated are a reminder that people will still try to bring illegal items onto flights.