经济学人 | 为什么美国人坐飞机都想偷偷带着枪？
亚特兰大机场也因此背上了一个恶名：大多数美国人试图携带枪支通过安检而被发现的机场。2021年，美国运输安全管理局的工作人员在乘客的随身行李中找到了507支枪，创下历史记录。今年前6个月，又发现了200支枪，与去年同期相比略有下降。机场里越来越多随处可见的标志可能起到了作用。
Across America, the number of guns found each year has been rising sharply. Occasionally weapons even scarier than guns are intercepted. In 2019 officials at Baltimore-Washington airport found a rocket launcher in the luggage of a Texan man flying home from Kuwait.
在美国各地的机场，每年发现的枪支数量都在急剧上升。有时还会截获比枪支更可怕的武器。2019年，巴尔的摩-华盛顿机场的官员在一名从科威特回国的德克萨斯州男子的行李中发现了一个火箭发射器。
In 2020, even though the number of passengers flying in America fell by 60% compared with 2019, the number of guns found decreased by only 27%. This might suggest that quieter airports enabled agents to catch a higher share—so in normal times, a worrying number of guns may be making it onto planes. In 2021 the number of guns caught at airport checks hit a record just shy of 6,000, more than twice as many as in 2015.
2020年，尽管在美国乘坐飞机的乘客数量比2019年下降了60%，但发现的枪支数量仅下降了27%。这可能表明，冷清的机场能够让工作人员截获更多枪支——所以在正常情况下，可能会有数量令人担忧的枪支被带上飞机。2021 年，在机场检查中查获的枪支数量创下了历史纪录，达到近6000支，是2015年的两倍多。
According to Mark Howell, a tsa spokesman, most guns found are a case of “oops, I forgot” rather than any sinister intent. They crop up far more often in states with loose gun laws. People in Georgia or Texas often carry a gun as others carry their keys.
根据美国运输安全管理局发言人马克·豪厄尔的说法，大多数被截获的持枪者都会说“哎呀，我忘了”，表示自己不带有任何邪恶的想法。这种情况在枪支法律宽松的州出现的频率要高得多。在佐治亚州或德克萨斯州，人们经常随身携带枪支，如同其他地方的人们随身携带钥匙一般。
Roughly 90% of firearms found are loaded. When passengers are stopped by tsa agents, they are fined (sometimes several thousand dollars) and handed over to police, who see if they have broken any local laws.
在机场截获的枪支中约有90%都上了膛。当被运输安全管理局的工作人员截获时，他们会被罚款（通常是几千美元）并被警察带走，警察会判定他们是否违反了当地法律。
In Atlanta, police now simply direct passengers to return any guns to their cars, or to check them in as luggage. In April Brian Kemp, Georgia’s governor, signed a “constitutional carry” law, allowing people in the state to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
在亚特兰大，警方现在只是简单地要求乘客将枪支放回车内，或者作为行李托运。今年4月，佐治亚州州长布莱恩·肯普签署了一项“符合宪法的携带”法案，允许该州民众在没有许可证的情况下携带隐蔽武器。
As a result, local police can no longer confiscate weapons found by tsa agents at the airport, or even compel owners to submit to questioning. “We are working on it,” Darin Schierbaum, Atlanta’s interim police chief, told the city council in June. Some might worry it is only a matter of time before one goes off in the air.
因此，当地警方不能再没收运输安全管理局的工作人员在机场发现的枪支，甚至不能强迫枪支持有者接受讯问。今年6月，亚特兰大临时警察局长达林·希尔鲍姆告诉市议会：“我们正在努力解决这个问题。” 有些人可能会担心，在空中飞行的飞机上爆发枪战只是时间问题。
(红色标注词为重难点词汇)
重难点词汇：
interception [ˌɪntɚˈsɛpʃən] n. 拦截；窃听；截取
quintessentially [ˌkwɪntɪ'senʃli] adv. 标准地；典型地
accolade [ˈækəˌleɪd] n. 荣誉；奖励
sinister [ˈsɪnɪstər] adj. 邪恶的；阴险的
confiscate [ˈkɑːnfɪskeɪt] v. 没收；查抄；充公
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