ATLANTA (WSAV) — Gun confiscations at Georgia airports spiked in 2021, according to a report by the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). Officers found a total of 542 guns in travelers’ carry-on bags, with a whopping 507 of those being at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Atlanta airport led the nation in confiscations this year and more than doubled its 2020 numbers. The Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport came in second place in the Peach State, reporting 26 confiscations, still just a fraction of Atlanta’s airport.

The TSA says gun confiscations in Georgia occur in one in every 40,570 passengers, which is double the national average of one in every 97,999 passengers.

TSA says the guns were confiscated during routine screenings. Taking a gun in carry-on luggage could bring you a hefty fine and even criminal charges.

The TSA provided a breakdown of gun confiscation in the past four years at Georgia airports below:

Airport2018201920202021
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International298323220507
Savannah-Hilton Head International1918626
Augusta Regional101125
Columbus Metropolitan1211
Valdosta Regional3211
Southwest Georgia Regional2111
Middle Georgia Regional0101
Brunswick Golden Isles2100
Total335359231542
Nationwide4,2394,4323,2575,972

The TSA screened nearly 585 million passengers and crew nationwide last year, marking an 81% increase from the previous year when air travel was cut short in response to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia airports saw an even higher increase in screenings compared to 2020, totaling 21.98 million travelers last year.

Guns can be taken on airplanes if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage, TSA says. Replica guns must also go through the checked baggage.

TSA listed the top 10 airports with the most gun confiscations below:

RankAirportTotal
1Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport507
2Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport317
3Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport245
4Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport196
5Nashville International Airport163
6Denver International Airport141
7Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport128
8Orlando International Airport124
9Louis Armstrong New Orleans International119
10Salt Lake City International Airport115