TSA seizes record number of guns in 2015

<p>Consider this a friendly travel tip: You should not pack your meat slicer in your carry-on. Or your Batarang, or your Chihuahua.&nbsp;</p><p>It sounds like common sense, right? Well some fliers tried it anyway. TSA screened more than&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.tsa.gov/" target="_blank">708 million passengers</a>&nbsp;and 1.6 billion carry-on bags in 2015.&nbsp;</p><p>And while your fair share of weird items were recovered yes, we&#39;re looking at you, marijuana-stuffed candy wrappers there was also an alarming number of potentially dangerous items. Take guns, for example.&nbsp;</p><p>Last year, TSA agents recovered 2,653 firearms in carry-on bags. That&#39;s an average of seven guns per day. And agents reported 83 percent of those guns were loaded when they were recovered.</p><p>As for where most of those firearms were found? The Lone Star State and the ATL. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranked as the top three offenders, in that order.&nbsp;</p><p>The 20 percent increase in gun seizures over last year might be related to ramped-up security checks. Last June, the acting head of the TSA was fired after the Department of Homeland Security found security failures at numerous busy airports across the country. (Video via&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigation-breaches-us-airports-allowed-weapons-through-n367851" target="_blank">NBC</a>)</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2016/01/21/tsa-releases-2015-statistics" target="_blank">current TSA administrator said</a>, &quot;The transport of firearms by commercial air in carry-on bags represents a threat to the safety and security of air travelers. Through increased training in detection methods, our officers are becoming more adept at intercepting these prohibited items.&quot;</p><p>So as TSA agents get better at their jobs, we get safer in the skies. That&#39;s something we can get behind. Just remember to leave that samurai sword at home.</p><p><i>This video includes images from Getty Images.</i></p>