With the thirtieth gun discovered last week, SLC has gained a reputation as America's worst for gun-toting travellers.

On Tuesday, the latest gun, a 3.8-caliber Smith & Wesson Bodyguard pistol, was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag en route to LAS, TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said in a tweet. The weapon was spotted at a screening checkpoint, and was loaded with eight rounds, Dankers added.

The firearm is the same as the previous one that TSA agents discovered at the airport on Monday. A woman, who had been heading to SAN, was promptly arrested after this year's penultimate weapon was found in her handbag.

The previous month, two loaded guns were discovered on the same day. Back in May, a man had strapped another loaded gun to his prosthetic leg.

Not only are this year's figures for guns discovered at the airport more than the previous three years, with 27 found in 2011 and 24 found in 2012, but it is also far more than equivalent US airports.

When compared with six hubs that have similar passenger traffic volumes, such as MCI,STL,PDX, Salt Lake City has had over double the number of guns discovered. In MCI for example, only eight guns have been discovered; thirteen in PDX.