BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BNIA) was the only airport in the region to see an increase in guns seized.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a total of seven guns were seized at BNIA in 2018. That's up from three firearms that were seized back in 2017.
TSA Firearms Catches at Checkpoints in Airports in the Upstate New York Region
| Airport | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Albany International Airport (ALB) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Totals | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 14 |
The TSA announced officers in Upstate New York stopped 14 handguns at checkpoints in 2018. A total of 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country last year.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International had the most guns detected at checkpoints with 298.
According to the TSA, passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its web site here: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition [tsa.gov].
