ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), officers stopped 23 handguns at Upstate New York airport security checkpoints in 2022, an increase from 19 in 2021. Elmira Corning Regional Airport stopped the same number of handguns in 2022 as it did in 2021.

The rise in seizures follows the nationwide trend, as TSA officers detected 6,542 firearms at airport security checkpoints across the country, a spike from the 5,972 in 2021, according to the TSA.

“I commend the officers who have continued to perform their security duties at the highest level,” said Bart Johnson, TSA Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “Our officers remain vigilant and focused on their mission to ensure that travelers get to their destinations safely.”

According to the TSA, seven firearms were caught at Albany International Airport checkpoints, an increase from five in 2021. Six were stopped at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, which doubled the three in 2021. Greater Rochester International Airport caught three, one more than in 2021, and Elmira Corning Regional Airport stopped two, the same amount as in 2021.

The number of firearms seized at TSA checkpoints since 2012 has more than quadrupled as of 2022, with only 1,556 caught merely 10 years ago. In 2022, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had the most firearms caught by TSA at checkpoints in 2022 with 448.