A gun in your carry-on? Some are calling for stiffer fines

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer

There has been a surge in guns being discovered at airport checkpoints. That’s leading some security experts to suggest higher fines and even putting violators on a no-fly list to prevent guns from getting on planes. The Transportation Security Administration says airport screeners found 5,972 guns at checkpoints last year, easily breaking a record set in 2019 despite a drop in air travel, and 86% of those guns were loaded. A House transportation-security subcommittee held a hearing Tuesday at which New Jersey Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman warned of the toxic combination of rising gun seizures and record numbers of disruptive passengers.