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TSA Seized 120 Guns At D/FW Airport Last Year, The Most In The U.S.

Transportation Security Administration
A loaded folding-stock rifle with two loaded magazines was found in a carry-on bag in 2014 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: When it comes to confiscated guns at airports, D/FW is No. 1; Plano is a great place to find a job; Rick Perry was one of the longest-serving governors in the country; and more.

When it comes to guns confiscated at U.S. airports, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is No. 1. Transportation Security Administration agents spotted 120 guns at D/FW last year – that’s more than any other airport in the country. (That’s up from 2013, when 96 guns were spotted at D/FW.) Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International was No. 2 with 109 guns. (Of course, D/FW and Atlanta are among the biggest airports in the country.) Phoenix’s Sky Harbor was No. 3 with 78 guns. George Bush Intercontinental in Houston was close behind with 77. Houston’s Hobby ranked sixth with 50 guns. Last year, TSA agents spotted 2,212 firearms in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country – a 22 percent increase from 2013. On average, more than six firearms were discovered daily in 2014. More than 80 percent of them were loaded. Among last year's Texas discoveries: a loaded folding-stock rifle with two loaded magazines in a carry-on bag at D/FW Airport; an assault rifle with three loaded magazines at Dallas Love Field; and a loaded .380-caliber firearm in the pocket of a San Antonio International passenger. What else are passengers trying to bring onto planes across the country? A hand grenade, fireworks, stun guns, a flare gun, an improvised explosives device training kit, and more. Check out TSA’s year in review here.

Credit Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration produced this graphic that highlights gun confiscations at U.S. airports in 2014.

  • NPR’s Michel Martin is coming to Dallas to tackle football ethics – and you’re invited. The special event, Offense or Defense?, takes place Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Hoglund Foundation Theater at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas. NPR reports: Football has “become one of the most controversial [sports], and conversations around it now tackle much more than what happens ON the field. From concern over the long term health effects of the sport, to worries that its culture encourages violence off the field, who speaks for football?” Guests include Nate Jackson, former Denver Bronco and author of "Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival From the Bottom of the Pile"; Melani Ismail, who was featured on VH1's Football Wives and is married to former Dallas Cowboys player Rocket Ismail; and Texas high school running back Nahshon Ellerbe, who plans to play football for Rice University. Buy tickets here. Learn more here

  • Who are the best songwriters in Dallas? The Dallas Observer has produced a list. “When one hears the term ‘songwriter,’ a pensive, diary-toting, chamomile tea-sipping type comes to mind, but here in North Texas, we recognize quality song craft in many forms and styles,” Kelly Dearmore writes. “The artists listed below represent a fantastic range of styles that are only ties together by the excellent results, because none of them sound anywhere close to one another.”

  • Plano is one of the best cities to find a job. That’s according to WalletHub, the personal finance social network, which analyzed data to compile 2015’s Best & Worst Cities to Find a Job. Plano ranks No. 10. Seattle is the best city to find a job, while Des Moines is No. 2 and Gilbert, Arizona, is No. 3. The worst cities? The bottom five on the list of 150 cities: Memphis; Hialeah, Florida; Detroit; Moreno Valley, California; and San Bernardino, California.

  • Did you know Rick Perry was one of the longest-serving governors in the U.S.? The Washington Post reports: Perry “ranks among the 10 longest-serving governors in American history, said Eric Ostermeier, a research associate at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, who writes the Smart Politics blog there. ‘All told, Perry served 14 years and one month, or 5,144 days, good for tenth place on the all-time list of statehood governors since 1787,’ Ostermeier writes. ... [Perry beat] former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, whose tenure was two days shorter than Perry’s.” For the record: Terry Branstad of Iowa is the longest-serving governor – at 7,300+ days. Branstad's still in office.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.