Can I take a gun on a flight? ?

H

Hantra

New member
All:

I need to know if I can take my pistol in my luggage. As long as it is in the luggage compartment, and unloaded, can I take it? What about if I strip it down and pack it in my suitcase. (not my carryon)

I travel a lot, and hotels are a dangerous place to be from all the news reports. . .

What is the law?

B
 
No you cannot unless you are a policeman

Your luggage will be tossed aside and you will be handcuffed at the radar machine before you can enter the boarding area.

They are very careful about this. I had a knee replacement last year and pack a load of metal in my knee area. Everytime I enter the airport machine all hell breaks loose. They surround me and ask me to put up my hands while they find the source of the alarm.

Even with I entered the Capitol building in WDC last month. I was going to have lunch with my representative and I caused the alarms to go off. After a while this becomes annoying.

Do not take any gun anywhere on board an airplane. I don't know how the dealers handle the gun shows, I would have to bet they do it by truck.

Call your airline and they will confirm this.
 
I called the airline about my flight

They said "hard lockable case, ammo in a separate suitcase". I only hope they don't steal my luggage, the ----s. This is the main reason why I hate air travel: all the goons pretending to make the flight secure. Search for some old threads on the topic for more info.
 
Hantra,

Oleg is right, you can take a firearm as "checked baggage" if it is in a crushproof, lockable, airline approved case. (Walmart usually has them for sale.) Your ammo will need to be in it's original packaging, preferably in a separate container. Tell them at the ticket counter that you have the weapon and have them check it in for you. Do not try to hide it in a suitcase even if it is one that you are not carrying on. Each airline has slightly different rules, so call ahead to find out what yours says.

I would highly recommend that you not fly into or connect through LAX with any kind of firearm if you can help it. They might try to say that you were smuggling or something. ;)


Oh yea, if you are worried about them stealing your handgun, put the lockable case, gun and all, into a larger suitcase. That way they can't put in under their jacket or something and walk away with it.

Joe
 
I read an article by Massad Ayoob in, I think, Defensive Handguns Magazine, about this.

He confirms what NRALife says. Handgun in hard, locked case. Ammo in separate hard, locked case. Each case will have a sticker on it identifying it as carrying firearms or ammo.

Problem is, of course, baggage handlers then know which cases to steal.

Ayoob's suggestion, which he said some airlines will agree with, is that when you check your baggage, you have the ticket agent place each of your secured, tagged cases inside other un-tagged cases which you have brought along for this purpose. It also helps if you tell the ticket agent you're going to an IPSC target match or such like, rather than say the gun's for self-defense.

Yep, my Glock27 is a great target pistol.
 
It's totally routine

Lots of people - hunters, competitors, and just plain folks - fly with firearms in their checked luggage. Just follow the airline's rules.
Problem is, of course, baggage handlers then know which cases to steal.
Click to expand...
If you're taking a handgun, you put the locked handgun case, with the airline's sticker affixed, inside your regular luggage. That way the baggage handlers don't "know which cases to steal."
 
The Beez,

From what I understand, the airlines quit putting those contains firearms stickers on the outside of the cases. The FAA is now allowing the stickers to go on the inside of the bags to prevent theft. Baggage handlers know what gun cases look like anyway, so small cases should always go into bigger bags. I also hear that there is one airline, I think that is United, that puts a special bag tag on gun cases. Even with the stickers on the inside of the cases, that can still cause a problem.

It seems like there was a long thread about this in the general forum not too long ago. A search would probably turn it up. :)


Joe
 
It is illegal for the airines to place any marking on the outside of a bag indicating that the bag contains a firearm. Insist that any such tags are placed inside the bag.
 
handgun on a flight

Unless the law has changed; some airlines might be problematic:

1. An UNLOADED handgun CAN be transported in CHECKED LUGGAGE.

2. Ammunition is supposed to be in a different, that is separate container.

3. Notify the airline agent at the check-in location.

4. Last time I did so, I filled out a brief declaration, which remained with me. There was NO SPECIAL LABEL OR TAG ATTACHED TO MY LUGGAGE.

5. Check into the law wherever it is that you are going. By the way, I've spent as much as 1 year at a time living in hotels/motels,, and never has any sort of problem. On the other hand, one hears stories.
 
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