On Monday, Oct. 20, police stationed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, received an alarming call from the family of a man who was claiming to “shoot it up”. Although the man, Billy Joe Cagle, was not armed when authorities arrived, an AR-15 assault rifle was found in his car. CNN reports that Cagle was also in possession marijuana, which is a combination that Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens says can “turn out to be deadly”. Cagle was arrested and is now facing charges of terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assaults, possession of firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by convicted felon.

In 2024, several airports reported receiving just under one thousand hoax threats involving bombs, firearms, and other destructive materials. This was just one of the many reasons that airports all over the US decided to up their security game and strengthen the impact TSA and other security protocols have on the reduction of violent crimes within their buildings.