RICHMOND, Va. -- More than a decade after 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration said they're confiscating handguns at an alarming rate.
"Here it is more than 12 years after 9/11 and we're still seeing people bring their firearms to checkpoints," said TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein.
In 2009, TSA workers spotted 967 guns going through the x-ray machine, a number that has almost doubled to more than 1,800 last year.
Already this year, more than 900 guns have been pulled from baggage, 16 of them right here in the Commonwealth. That figures includes four at RIC, three in Charlottesville, three in Lynchburg and six in Norfolk.
"We're seeing a lot of people who are throwing them in their pocketbooks, their briefcases, knapsacks, their duffel bags, then they come to the checkpoint," Farbstein said.
She emphasized that passengers can fly with their guns, but have to transport it the correct way, which involves a few simple steps.
First the gun must be un-loaded and in a hard-shell case. The ammunition can be with it but can't be loose.
The hard-shell case must have a lock on the outside and you have to bring the case to the airline counter to fill out paperwork.
It's a few simple steps that won't cost much money but do it the wrong way and a TSA Citation alone can go has high as $11,000; not including the court costs and fines.
