Transportation Security Administration officials in Washington set a record for the number of firearms found at checkpoints in 2022, according to an emailed statement Friday, Jan. 20.
But TSA officers found only one firearm in carry-on luggage at Bellingham International Airport last year, the TSA said in a statement.
Security officials in Washington found 164 firearms among travelers’ personal belongings in 2022.
Most of the firearms, 113, were discovered at security checkpoints at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during routine X-ray screening of carry-on bags.
Nationwide, TSA officers found 6,542 firearms at 262 airports last year, according to the TSA.
Bellingham International Airport, codenamed BLI, saw 338,000 travelers in 2022, far fewer than Sea-Tac’s 17.3 million passengers.
Two firearms were found at Bellingham Airport in 2021, none in 2020, and four in 2019.
