TSA reports dip in guns stopped at 4 upstate NY airports

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Federal security officers caught 14 handguns last year at checkpoints in four upstate New York airports. That's a decrease of two from the previous year.

The Transportation Security Administration says only Buffalo Niagara International Airport saw an increase, from three to seven guns caught. Albany International had a decrease from six to three guns, Rochester a decrease from four to two, and Syracuse a decrease from three to two.

Overall, the TSA says 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country in 2018. That's an increase of about seven percent from the previous year, and 86 percent of the weapons were loaded, with just over a third with a bullet in the chamber.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage with certain restrictions.