TAMPA, Fla. -- The Transportation Security Administration is reminding passengers to make sure firearms are properly packed and declared before making their way to airport security. According to the agency, Florida airports saw record numbers brought to checkpoints.

“Each gun presents a danger. Any incident could have tragic results,” TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said in a news release.

The TSA said agents have encountered 581 guns so far this year at airports around the state.

TSA intercepted 14 at Tampa International Airport during the first 22 days of September alone. Bringing the year-to-date total to 83. Checkpoints at Orlando International Airport saw just seven firearms in that same time period. Orlando airport’s year-to-date total is 107.

According to the TSA, the Tampa and Orlando airports, along with Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, typically land in the top 10 or 11 airports nationwide where travelers violate federal law and bring guns to the checkpoints.

“Don’t let bringing a gun to a federal checkpoint be the reason you cannot answer ‘no’ to the question often asked on job applications: have you ever been arrested,” Koshetz is quoted in the news release.

On top of possibly being arrested, the TSA said passengers who violate the law could face a civil penalty of as much as $13,910.

The TSA said guns should not be in any carry-on items, like a backpack, purse, or suitcase.

Instead, carry them in checked baggage, unloaded and in a locked hard-sided case. Then declare it to the airline at check-in.

The agency also reminds travelers to know gun laws on both ends of their trip. In some jurisdictions it isn't legal to transport guns, even in checked baggage.

Anyone with questions can tweet to @AskTSA or send a message via Facebook messenger to the agency’s page, Ask TSA. Travelers can also call the TSA Contact Center at 866-289-9673.