Flying with a handgun

B

Brando1992

New member
Hey I'm going to Vegas for work and staying in a less than optimal part of town. I have heard all sorts of horror stories about people having their small hard cases taken from their suitcase somewhere between checking the bag and picking it up on the carousel. So I saw a solution to this being to travel with a large hard case with locks on it(making it harder for an employee to sneak off with). I am on a budget and will not be using this for travel every few months so I don't plan to spend the money on a high end pelican case. But what are y'all's thoughts on this:

https://www.amazon.com/Plano-1719-00-Quart-Tote-Black/dp/B007TOHI7I/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i

I'm hoping its not to small for my purposes but it would hold my shield, a box or two of ammo and some of my clothing for the trip.

Would this be to flimsy or would it be okay?
 
The only way you can now lock your suitcase, IS flying with a firearm. TSA inspects it, and then allows you to lock it.

Just be sure you are legal in Vegas, for some reason I believe North Las Vegas is off limits.
 
Las Vegas, for some reason, has more stringent gun laws than expected.
Maybe due to the organized crime beginnings.
Nevada in general has some new ones, too, thanks to a recent referendum.
You might want to check on them.
 
TSA seems much more concerned about the gun being removed from its case, than in the case being removed from your bag.
Guns are stolen frequently, but I don't know that a gun has ever been removed from its case and used in a skyjacking or other event that the locked case is supposed to prevent.
 
I just went through this over the holidays when I flew out from Denver to Philadelphia and then from Trenton-Mercer (NJ) airport back to Denver. I found out that my airline prohibited transport of firearms from the Trenton Mercer NJ airport I departed from.

Call your airline directly and ask for guidance on the type of portable secured storage container that is acceptable for your point of departure and arrival. I'm pretty sure the firearm will have to be unloaded before you stow it in the secured container, and you will need a separate secured container for ammunition.
 
I flew with my wife from Lafayette, LA to Harrisburg, PA by Delta through Atlanta. I declared I had an unloaded firearm in a hard case lock box, and 8 rounds of ammo within in a hard case. Was questioned why the ammo was not in its original box, I said it is for the locked firearm. I signed a yellow card which was included in my then-locked luggage. We traveled into Arlington National Cemetary (federal) in which I disarmed and unloaded in two separate unreachable locations in my rental car, until we left the National Cemetery. Virginia is now reciprocating for Louisiana.

As a CCW instructor in Louisiana, I suggest you check where you are flying, the carrier's requirements and the location's laws before you bring a firearm. I trust you are CCW licensed in your State with rights in your destination!!!
 
Why would you want to carry a big box with no handles onto an airplane? Or keep your gun and shield in something that can be cut through with a box cutter and screams "look at me"?

Jim
 
This might be a stupid idea, but what if you contacted a LGS wherever you were heading to see if they would allow you to ship a handgun to them and pick it up from them after you arrived?

I have never heard of that before. It's just a thought I had.
 
This might be a stupid idea, but what if you contacted a LGS wherever you were heading to see if they would allow you to ship a handgun to them and pick it up from them after you arrived?
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How would he take possession in a state where he is not a resident?
 
Your gun needs to be stowed unloaded in a locked case, inside your checked luggage. Ammo can be in it's original box or a container specifically made for carrying ammunition, it can be locked in the box with your gun or separate in your suitcase. Some airlines allow ammunition to be stored in a magazine tht is not in the gun. When you check in you need to declare that you have an unloaded gun in your luggage, TSA may or may not want to check it, the ticket agent will give you a card to sign, it goes in the suitcase with the gun case, and they take your suitcase like normal. You retain the key or combination to your gun case so that it can't be opened without you being present. If the TSA needs to get into it after your bag is checked you'll be paged. When you get to your destination you pick up your suitcase from the baggage claim as normal.

You need to read the TSA rules (available on their website) and the rules for the airlines you'll be flying on, which will be on their website, as well as being aware of the possession and carry laws for the area you'll be in.
 
Call the airline...call the airline...they do this all the time and will be able to set you straight. If you're still hesitant, visit your airport, go to the TSA office and question them. They'll help you stay on the right side of the law. I did both of the above when travelling from KY to Nevada to participate in a 4 day Defensive Handgun Course put on by Front Sight out in Pahrump. We flew into Las Vegas and took a rental car from there...it was no problem but that was 5 years ago, things may have changed. Rod
 
Certain airlines are "friendlier" than others.
I often fly Alaska, and maybe because a lot of hunters fly them to Alaska(?), they are both better informed and better prepared for people flying with guns.
They also allow up to fifty pounds of ammo, when most airlines allow only (IIRC) eleven pounds.
You will find all levels of smarts at airline counters, from professional, well-informed staff, to people who will broadcast over the PA, "I have a man here with a gun . . .", to insistence that you remove the firing pin at the counter before they'll let you go.
 
"...taken from their suitcase..." Said suitcase should be locked and of higher quality.
However, a 68 Quart Tote may be considered oversized luggage and cost your boss more without being any more secure. The baggage monkies will fire it like a trebuchet too.
 
Flying with any gun might get a lot harder based on the news today 1/6/17. It is a good bet that there will be a push to ban all guns on planes except for properly anointed federal agents, and it is no secret that some airline executives would be happier if guns were banned altogether.

Jim
 
Flying with any gun might get a lot harder based on the news today 1/6/17. It is a good bet that there will be a push to ban all guns on planes except for properly anointed federal agents, and it is no secret that some airline executives would be happier if guns were banned altogether.
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You may be correct, however, I traveled professionally for over a decade (Including FLL) and every baggage claim area I saw could be accessed by the general public without going through any security checkpoints. No airline ticket or legitimate reason needed to access these areas at all. Perhaps the only check is getting a parking stub and having your license plate automatically logged.

In this respect; it should't really matter that he flew in with the handgun in his checked luggage, anyone else could have walked right into the baggage area from the surrounding area and done the same thing.

There were some initial "news" reports that specifically stated the shooting happened in the "Terminal". These initial reports got my immediate attention because they used the word Terminal. My first thought was that someone dropped the ball big time by allowing a handgun onto an airplane, but these bogus "Terminal" reports turned out to be just click bait.
 
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Today's event in Florida will almost certainly lead to changes. Hopefully it will not be a ban on flying with checked guns.
 
nothing special about flying into las vegas with a declared, checked and secured handgun. look at rules on handgunlaw.us and airline website. hopefully sanity will prevail despite today's incident at fll.


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