North Fulton Today

Just weeks after a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport passenger made it past the checkpoint with what appeared to be a gun in an incident that is still under investigation, officials are warning people not to attempt to carry a gun through security.

With security at the airport having recovered about 200 guns so far this year, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told Fox 5 Atlanta more guns have been caught at security checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson than any other American airport.

"This is a criminal act," Atlanta Police Chief, Darin Schierbaum, told Fox 5. "What we see a lot is this is a forgetful moment of someone rushing to the airport and suddenly they find themselves being the focus of law enforcement attention."

Airport officials said, of the 200 guns Transportation Security Agents confiscated this year, 175 were loaded at the time they were recovered, Fox 5 reported. In 2021, one gun went off at a security checkpoint, causing several travelers to dive for cover.

Anyone caught with a gun on the wrong side of the checkpoint could be charged with a felony and misdemeanor crimes that carry fines up to $14,000, a TSA spokesperson told Fox 5.

Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, said many people remember they are carrying their firearm once they arrive at the airport and often find themselves hurrying back to their vehicle to store it there.

With at least 44 guns having recently been stolen from cars parked at the airport, Willis said, “That is a way to give people that are not law-abiding citizens guns because your car can be broken into, and it can be taken.”