Recent data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has revealed that a record number of firearms were discovered at airport security checkpoints in 2022.

According to data released by the TSA, last year, the organization reported they seized 6,542 firearms from travelers attempting to board airplanes with the weapons. Of these weapons seized, 88% were also loaded with bullets.

Data was slightly better for security at the Pittsburgh International Airport, as the checkpoint reported stopping 26 guns last year. This is a slight improvement from 2021, when the airport stopped a total of 32 firearms at the checkpoint.

Other parts of Pennsylvania did not see similar improvements, as Harrisburg and Philadelphia’s airports seized a record number of firearms at their airports during 2022, with 10 and 44 guns seized respectively.

The largest number discovered in the US was at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, the busiest airport in the world, as security reported seizing 448 firearms at their checkpoint. Large numbers were also reported by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (385), Houston’s George Bush Airport (298) and Nashville International Airport (213).

The TSA says that despite a lower number of air travelers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of firearms has dramatically increased in the US over the past three years. The number of weapons seized has increased by 9.5% from 2021, when security discovered 5,972 guns at checkpoints across the US. The number of guns seized in the US during the record-setting travel of 2019 was reported to be only 4,432 weapons.