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Here is a little thought exercise for you: How many people do you think try to carry guns onto planes each year in the United States? Think about this for a minute, because whatever answer you came up with, the real number is probably much higher.

The Transportation Security Administration said Friday that its agents had found more than 2,200 guns in carry-on bags last year. That is an increase of nearly 400 guns over the previous year and more than three times the number of guns found in 2005.

This is not a new problem at airports, as TSA agents regularly find guns (and assorted other weapons) in carry-on bags. But it does look like a problem that is getting worse rather than better, because 2014 was the seventh consecutive year agents found more guns than the year before. And more than four out of five guns found in carry-on bags last year were loaded, the TSA said.

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The TSA documents the guns and other weapons it finds at airports on its blog (which is called The TSA Blog). Sometimes the guns are found in the bags, while other times they are less hidden. (A 94-year-old man went to the checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport in New York with a loaded revolver clipped to his belt.) They are found regularly throughout the year, though some days are busier than others: A record 18 guns were found in a single day in June 2014.

Agents also find a lot of other weapons and forbidden items at these checkpoints. Last year, agents found a hand grenade, a mallet, batarangs (!), fireworks and inert artillery shells. In addition, they located hidden blades, including a sword cane and knives concealed in belt buckles, hairbrushes and lipstick. There were also more than 140 inert or novelty hand grenades, because apparently inert hand grenades are an essential part of travel for some people.

Guns and ammunition are not allowed in carry-on bags, but travelers are allowed to check baggage with an unloaded gun. They just have to pack the gun in a locked container and declare it to the airport during check-in, according to the TSA’s guidelines. When a gun or another weapon is found, it is turned over to local law enforcement, and the traveler can face criminal charges.

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Last year, firearms were found in bags at more than 200 airports across the country, though the airports with the most guns were largely in the South and Southwest. Six of the 10 airports with the highest numbers of guns found in bags were in Texas and Florida.

And in case you are wondering how this keeps happening, the TSA says that most of the time, passengers just forget about the guns. This makes sense, on some level: If you live in a place where you can carry a concealed weapon, you are probably used to always having your concealed weapon with you. (This is harder to explain if you have, say, a hidden gun or a knife stashed in an enchilada, both of which happened last year.)

Of course, it is still something the TSA would really rather you not forget. Among other reasons, the agency says this just winds up slowing down the security lines.

RELATED: What happens to the confiscated items that are not weapons?

[This story has been updated because I initially wrote an increase of 4,000 guns, rather than 400 guns, in the second paragraph. Which is obviously wrong. Pay attention in math class, kids.]

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