Firearms found at TSA checkpoints

Starbucks locations multiplying worldwide as TSA firearm interceptions climb at home. Two American institutions exporting differently: one through licensing and milk, one through the carry-on. The graph is not, technically, drawing the conclusion.

Starbucks stores grew from about 17,000 in 2010 to over 38,000 by 2023 as international expansion (especially in China) accelerated. Firearms intercepted at TSA checkpoints grew from about 1,300 in 2010 to over 6,500 by 2023 as US gun ownership rose, concealed-carry laws expanded, and a larger share of travellers were armed in their daily lives. Two completely unrelated lines sharing a window because the same thirteen years scaled one global retail footprint and one domestic firearms-ownership pattern.

Two American defaults grew. One in the cup, one in the bag. The decade was generous to both.