The incident comes one month after the TSA reported it had confiscated a record number of firearms at airport checkpoints this year.<\/b>
\nA man accidentally discharged a weapon at a security screening area at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport on Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration, sending travelers into a panic and leading to a brief halt to departing flights, in a year in which the agency has been confiscating a record number of firearms at airport checkpoints. 4,495. That\u2019s how many travelers the TSA has stopped at checkpoints for trying to sneak a firearm on board their flight in the first nine months of this year, which is the most the agency has recorded since it was founded. The TSA told CNN roughly 80% of those guns confiscated were loaded. Passengers who bring a loaded gun or an empty gun with ammunition in their carry-on bag at an airport check could face fines up to $13,910, according to the TSA\u2019s website. Fines for carrying an unloaded gun range between $1,500 and $2,475. The TSA said people are allowed to travel with a firearm, as long as it is placed in a check-in bag, declared at the airline ticket counter and properly packaged, which means unloaded and secured in a hard case away from any ammunition. The incident comes a day after TSA said it screened the highest number of travelers since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Over 2.2 million people were screened Friday, and the AAA estimates 53.4 million people will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday this year. TSA Screened 2.2 Million Air Travelers Friday, A Pandemic High, As Thanksgiving Travel Begins ( Forbes) Record Number Of Guns Caught At TSA Checkpoints So Far This Year ( Forbes)<\/p>\n