Another record year for firearms discovered in airports, including Denver International

The Transportation Security Administration says the number of firearms discovered in airports across the country broke another record in 2017, and Denver International Airport saw a 20 percent increase.

According to the TSA’s 2017 year review , 3,957 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints. That’s a 16.7 percent increase over 2016’s total of 3,391. TSA says there was a 4.5 percent increase in travelers from 2016 to 2017.

DIA, once again, made the top 10 list of firearms discovered at airports, ranking at No. 4, moving up one spot from 2016.

Agents at DIA discovered 118 firearms — 102 of which were loaded — in 2017, but it matches the national trend of breaking yearly records. TSA agents at DIA discovered 98 firearms in 2016, 90 in 2015, and 70 in 2014. The number of travelers at DIA increased by about 8 percent from the first half of 2016 to the first half of 2017.

While the trend may show a big increase in percentage, it’s important to note that TSA discovered an average of 10.8 firearms per day out of screening an average of 2 million travelers per day.

Not figured into those statistics are the hazardous items that TSA agents seized last year, ranging from inert bombs, smoke grenades, bottles of gunpowder, and a wide range of blades from knives to ninja stars. The agency also keeps a running Instagram account that posts strange items that have been seized.

Take a look at some of the items that were discovered by TSA agents in the gallery below.