Airline Travel with Your Firearm

4

45Gunner

New member
Every year I take a group of shooters from our community (Florida) and go to a well known firearms training institute (Nevada). Prior to gearing up for travel, I conduct an orientation and indoctrination class on everything from how to check a gun at the airport to what to expect during the day and what to do in the evenings during the training event.

At a meeting yesterday, one of the shooters brought his gun box with him to ask me to determine if it was acceptable. Indeed it was but it was absolutely huge. When I queried him as to why he purchased such a large case he told me that the salesman at the gun store told him that gun boxes must not go in a suitcase, must be properly marked as containing a gun, tagged and checked.

For all those that would like to travel with your gun I submit the following:

1. Check the gun laws for each and every state you will be visiting. Insure that it is legal for you to carry there and that state has reciprocity with your state if you plan to conceal carry. If not, what are the laws with regard to having a gun in a vehicle.

2. Do get a hard case that has foam inside and your gun fits securely within that foam. Insure that your gun is unloaded. No ammo goes into that gun case. Remember that whatever size case you buy, it must go into your checked suitcase. (Not a plug for any particular box but I use Pelican Gun Cases as they meet all the requirements and are waterproof.)

3. The gun case should be locked with two locks. Either a key lock or combination lock is acceptable. THESE LOCKS SHOULD NOT BE TSA LOCKS. Only you should have access to the key or combination.

4. When arriving at the airport ticket counter, tell the ticket agent that you have a gun to declare. They will give you a form to fill out. This form will ask several questions and you must declare that the weapon is unloaded and there is no ammo in the case. (I have lost count of the number of times I have traveled on airplanes with a checked weapon and not one ticket agent has ever asked me to open the case.) That declaration form will either be placed on top of your gun case or taped to it, depending upon the particular agent.

5. The gun case WILL REMAIN INSIDE YOUR CHECKED SUITCASE. Your suitcase should be locked with TSA locks. Once your suitcase is locked and checked, there are no tags or other identifying ways to let anyone know there is a gun in the suitcase.

6. Most airlines will allow up to 11 pounds of ammo to be inside your checked suitcase. (No ammo in carry on bags.)

A couple of other noteworthy things that may help you:

I always have at least three magazines with me for concealed carry. During training at the Institute, I have a dozen. I place the magazines in a plastic bag and then wrap some tape around that bag to keep the magazines together. If the TSA opens your bag, you do not want loose magazines falling out.

I insure that my mag carriers and holster are positioned in the suitcase so if the contents of the suitcase should shift, they will not get crushed.

I use my Range Bag as a carry one. In it are my ear muffs, eye protection and my medications. No gun related articles such as tools or gun mags are allowed.
(By gun mags, I am referring to those hold cartridges.)

If you get nothing else from this, know that a gun must be in a secured box and that secured box must go inside your checked luggage.
 
Good advice.

I check a pistol regularly and have never had an issue.

I have read very mixed experiences from people traveling to California, though, so I never have checked one when traveling there.
 
Great advice. The only question I have relates to your Number 4: What airline gave you a form that required you to answer several questions? Or did I misunderstand this point? I'm just curious, because I fly with my 2" S&W .38 in checked luggage several times a year, been doing so for over three decades, and have never been given a form with questions to fill out or answer. The only piece of paper I ever got at an airline counter at check-in was the small tag/card that gets filled out with date, airline and flight number, and which also has the declaration that the firearm is unloaded and which the traveler signs. This goes inside the suitcase when filled out. There should never be anything on the outside which might indicate that a firearm is within.
 
A further word on ammo .......

Mags cannot contain ammo, and that ammo must be packed in a container specifically designed for ammo. TSA's website mentions this, though the subsequent paragraph confuses things a bit. Excerpted from TSA's website:

"Travelers must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.

Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm."
 
A couple other suggestions, while we are on this topic. These are suggestions only, certainly not required, but nonetheless what I think is good advice, based on my experiences accrued over the course of my 30+ years of regularly traveling with a gun in my checked luggage:

1. After you've signed the little "firearm is unloaded" tag/card, set it next to your gun, inside the open hard gun case with your gun right next to it, and take a picture of it with your cell phone. (Beforehand, I have also taken a pic of my gun inside its case, which also has the serial number of the gun visible.) This now documents that you did indeed check a gun, as well as your compliance with the regulations....... Just in case! After you have done this, close and lock up the gun case, and I usually request - and have never yet been denied - a piece of tape from the airline agent, so I can tape the declaration tag/card to the outside of the gun case (NOT the outside of the suitcase.)

2. I typically print out the appropriate sections relating to checking guns in luggage from both the TSA and the airline's websites and have a copy with me - just in case I encounter a dummy agent at the ticket counter - though the youngsters can probably find the appropriate sections on their tablets quicker than I can dig out the paper. Once in awhile, you will encounter an airline agent that doesn't know their own airlines' or TSA's rules, so having this info at your fingertips may come in handy. If further assistance is necessary, be polite, and ask for a supervisor or the Ground Security Coordinator.

3. I never airline with a favorite/valuable/family heirloom gun; just an old 2" bbl S&W .38 revolver, which I use these days pretty much only as my personal defense gun when I have to airline somewhere and must check it in my checked luggage. In all the decades I've been doing this, I've never had a gun lost or stolen out of checked luggage (I'm knocking on my wood desk now) but it does happen; if my old, beat up 2" S&W .38 disappears some day, I won't cry too hard about it and the airline can just buy me a new one.
 
In addition to TSA rules, individual airlines have their own rules. They are usually only minimally different than TSA rules but it behooves one to check.

Keep in mind also, what might happen to you and your firearm should the plane have to make an emergency landing in an unexpected state or municipality - or if your connecting flight is cancelled and you have to unexpectedly stay overnight in a strange city and state. You need to familiarize yourself with these local laws so you don't retrieve your suitcase at baggage claim and be in immediate violation of the law in that state or municipality.

Also about ammo...
If I recall correctly, ammo CAN be stored in the same locked box as your firearm. It just has to be in its own container (such as the original ammo box). Also, in some instances, the ammo can even be loaded into a magazine, as long as the magazine is in a protective enclosure. I have done this before and just enclosed the loaded magazine in a nylon sheath with Velcro flap (such as a knife or multi tool pouch). But whatever you decide to do, read the regs for TSA and your particular airline back and forth and print copies to keep with you in case questions of proper compliance arise.
 
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I stopped taking carry on bags. The only exception would be an expensive laptop.

I find that there's absolutely nothing I need in the passenger compartment, and not having a carry-on bag speeds me up.

I do wear long sleeve all cotton garments and heavy leather footwear, I've even worn FR rated clothing. Cotton clothing can buy you escape seconds if something bad happens. I know it's off topic and a rare occurrence, but I've been around enough to see the effects of synthetic clothing.

The tips are great, thank you for posting. I've heard people ask those questions many times. A good amount of people are unaware of the fact that you can fly with your firearms, even many gun owners think it's forbidden.

Hopefully people will see this and realize that you can travel with your firearms.
Again, great info
 
45-

Perhaps your student should print this out and give a copy to the dolt at the LGS.........................;)
 
Here's another tip - actually a caution - if you ever plan on flying out of any of the three NYC area Airports (Newark, JFK, or La Guardia). When you check in at the counter and declare your firearm in your luggage, the airline agent will call the Port Authority Police and a PAPD Officer will come to check out your firearm, and you! If you are not lawfully in possession of that firearm there, pursuant to their laws, you are going to end up wearing interconnecting metal bracelets, missing your flight, and spending at least one night in the Gray Bar Hotel. You will probably be charged with a crime, and likely never get your gun back, no matter what eventually happens to your criminal case.
 
This is the best source on the web for advice on travelling with firearms...
http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/
WATCH THE VIDEO LINKED AT THE TOP!
And then read the whole web-page and click on all the links.

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45Gunner, just a few points to clarify:
2. ...No ammo goes into that gun case...
Click to expand...
It is perfectly legal to have ammo loaded into magazines and placed inside a case with an unloaded firearm on the foam right next to your gun. Magazines fall into the category of "other suitable container". In fact, it's mentioned on the opening page regarding travelling with firearms on the TSA website:
•Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.
•Small arms ammunition, including ammunition not exceeding .75 caliber for rifle or pistol and shotgun shells of any gauge, may be carried in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as described in the packing guidelines above.

3. The gun case should be locked with two locks. Either a key lock or combination lock is acceptable. THESE LOCKS SHOULD NOT BE TSA LOCKS. Only you should have access to the key or combination.
Click to expand...
It should be noted that it is federal law that only the owner will have access to the locks on a checked case containing firearms, and that using TSA locks on your hardcase is technically illegal. 49CFR 1540.111

4. When arriving at the airport ticket counter, tell the ticket agent that you have a gun to declare. They will give you a form to fill out. This form will ask several questions and you must declare that the weapon is unloaded and there is no ammo in the case. (I have lost count of the number of times I have traveled on airplanes with a checked weapon and not one ticket agent has ever asked me to open the case.) That declaration form will either be placed on top of your gun case or taped to it, depending upon the particular agent.
Click to expand...
I would never use the word "gun" at an airline ticket counter. Simply say "I need a declaration form". No forms I've ever filled out asked any questions, and only required my signature that stated the gun was unloaded. Airline ticket agents are not trained to verify that a gun is unloaded and should not ask you to show them. The TSA is not trained either and should not ask you. If you are checking an actual hard-case (ie, a large Pelican rifle case), the form will go INSIDE the case, not on the outside. If you are placing a small hard-case inside a piece of checked baggage (ie, a pistol case inside your duffel-bag), then the form will be placed in the top of your clothes or at least attempt to be visible upon unzipping and opening the luggage.

My advice:
1)Pelican cases are worth their weight in gold for the piece of mind that your guns will survive anything a ground-handler can throw at them and the worst turbulence God can throw at them.

2)I use all 4 lock locations on my Pelican 1720 because it came with 4. Conveniently, Master sells 4-packs of normal-sized keyed padlocks. I put one key in my wallet, and the other on my keychain.

3)I fully load every mag I'm taking and place them inside the case with the unloaded firearms... saves space.

4)I arrive at the airport with no locks on my case since I'd just have to take them all off to put the declaration form inside, and there's always the possibility that TSA will actually want to look inside the case (again, they are not trained to verify that firearms are unloaded, THAT's WHAT YOUR SIGNATURE ON THE FORM IS FOR). However, occasionally they will want to swab the case or have another rule where opening the case in their presence is required. AFTER the form is inside, if it's going directly behind the counter, I'll lock it there... but if I have to walk over to the TSA scanner people, I'll wait until I speak to them until I put the locks on it. THEN, I'll sit there and wait until it actually goes through the scanner and is on the conveyor before I head to my gate.

Travelling with firearms war stories:
http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/accounts.html

Quicklinks to policies for major airlines:
http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/report.html

Sample declaration:
us_airways_back.jpg


LAST ADVICE: Yes, you should stand your ground on regulations... carry the supporting documents and printouts and know what is right. However, ticket agents and the TSA get things wrong all the time, and the clock is always ticking. At some point (even though they are dead wrong), you're going to miss your flight if you don't do what they want. IT'S ALL UP TO YOU. I've never had a single issue flying with firearms... NOT ONE. A guy almost didn't let me take a 100ct of Winchester white-box 9mm because he thought it was "loose" and didn't believe that they were all just "thrown" in there with no separator... I called over an airport cop who convinced the guy that "Yes, you can walk into Walmart and buy it just like that"... piece of cake. So, don't be afraid to politely ask for a supervisor or if to have an officer present if you think it will help. Of course if you've been a complete -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED- up until that point, it probably won't matter. Be polite, smile, call people by their names, "Hey Will, how's scannin' going today?" "'Hello Angela, how's Tuesday treating you?"
 
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