Legally flying with checked in gun and ammunition...

M

Mokumbear

New member
I am thinking of taking a carry gun on a trip to a state that has reciprocity with my state's CCW license.

I started looking at the TSA rules for checking in a suitcase with gun/ammo.
Not really the clearest set of instructions ever written.
I am still unclear on what the proper type of locked box is for the gun and how the ammo is to be checked in.

I read that you ALSO need to comply with your airline's rules.

What I don't want is aggravation or missing a flight with a non-refundable ticket. How much earlier do you need to show up to allow for proper processing?

Anyone here posses a good amount of experience checking in guns and ammo? Are some airlines better than other at making it a smooth experience?
 
I've checked guns a couple times but not ammo. With the guns you need to declare it at the check in desk and they will have you go over to a table where they will inspect it. All I used for the guns was a regular plastic case that was locked with TSA approved locks. I had a 12 ga. and a P89 in the same case, no problem at DFW, note: this was about 4 yrs ago not sure if things have changed.
 
A hard sided lockable box, you keep the key or combo so it can't be opened without you. I wouldn't use a TSA lock because then they can access your weapon without your knowledge. You can put the ammo right in the box with the gun but it has to be in a container, I always use the box it came in. TSA is okay with loaded mags enclosed in a mag case but some airlines aren't. I use a lockbox that looks like a book and haven't had a problem. It holds my gun, ammo, mags, and knife.

When you check in tell the counter person you have a firearm to declare and they'll give you an orange tag to sign that goes in your luggage with the gun case. They may want you to open the case and show that the gun is empty or TSA may want to inspect your gun, then again there's a good chance no one will want to look at it. It varies. That's about all there is to it, pretty painless. I've flown a bunch of times through numerous airports over the last 5 or 6 years and have yet to have any trouble with any airlines.

You might get there an extra half hour early if it's a big airport but I've never had it take more than a few extra minutes because I was checking a gun.
 
That's about it really. I will add one more thing, your luggage may get what is infamously known as a "love letter" where the bag has been opened and inspected further somewhere along the line. You'll get a nice placard stating as such mixed in with your underwear and toothpaste.

As pointed out, DON'T use those TSA locks...just use regular padlocks. Doesn't really matter though, they have "ways of opening any lock" per the TSA inspector.:eek:

I waited thirty minutes for my bag to come down the carousel, never showed up. Lo and behold it was tucked away off to the side in a corner with a couple other 'inspected' bags...no one told me it would be there.:rolleyes:

BTW don't be all nervous about it. Go up to the counter, tell the desk agent you have a firearm to declare and just follow their directions after that. Pretty simple.
 
Hmmm..

OK, a little reassurance so far.
Anything new can be a little daunting, especially if you add the pressure of wanting your trip to go without a hitch.

I am not sure if the plastic case my gun came in would be acceptable.
It seems like it might fail the "easy to pry open without too much effort" test.
Are there hard sided cases designed with air travel in mind?

I also couldn't fit boxed ammo in my case.
Are there boxes suitable for carrying a small amount of ammo?

So let me get this straight, a TSA approved lock is not required for the case?
Would you recommend a TSA approved lock for the outside of your luggage?

I also still can't make sense of their rather odd rules for carrying ammo.

Does it matter if luggage is "soft sided", as in strong fabric, not like hard Samsonite.
 
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I met a friend from England and again saw him off at an airport. He brought with and went home with and antique, but firable, flintlock fowler (shotgun). He was required to demonstrate it was not loaded. Lotsa fun when you can't open the breech. The airline people didn't have a clue what he had or how to check it but they didn't give him a hard time. Checked right through.
Personally, I think it would be safer for the firearm to ship via UPS ahead of time. The airline can destroy any piece of luggage. I read about a traveling hunter who bought the best, strongest, toughest rifle case on the market. When he arrived at his destination it, and the rifle, was completely destroyed. It got caught in the hydraulic door opening/closing mechanism and crushed. :eek:
 
If you ship a handgun ahead, to a state where you do not reside, how can you transfer it back into your possession at the other end? You have to ship to an FFL, no? Will the FFL be able to release it?

As far as the TSA lock on the outer bag, by all means I would do that.
 
My friend used to travel allot with his firearms, and a hard metal locked case was fine, his had the combo in the case its self one on each side, one trip one of the air lines lost his luggage, when he went to the lost luggage section that started that usual we will find it as soon as we can blah blah blah. My fried promptly informed them no you will find it now here is my paperwork for my firearm that you have now lost, if you don’t find it soon the next call I make will be to the FAA. He had his firearm back in like 90 minutes.
 
So let me get this straight, a TSA approved lock is not required for the case?
Click to expand...

NOT ALLOWED on the gun case.

You must be the ONLY person that can open the case with the gun.

Aluminum gun cases are easy to find, even Dillon has them.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/pid/24659/catid/19/Ziegel_Aluminum_Cases_4_5_quot__x_9_quot__x_14_quot_

You put the case inside another suitcase.
Hard side is better, and attaching the gun case to the larger suitcase with a cable lock is a good idea.
A decent padlock with you having the key is the rest.

Depending on airline rules you may be able to put ammunition in the case with the gun.

I usually just purchase4 when I get to my destination, then leave it behind.
 
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One small caution . . .

Be SURE your destination airport (where you will claim your luggage) is in a state where your have an appropriate permit or can otherwise legally posses a handgun. This may seem obvious, but some major airports (BWI comes to mind) service jurisdictions that are firearms-friendly (Virginia) and firearms-repressive (Maryland and DC).

To illustrate the importance of this principle, I remember reading a Washington Post article some years ago that reported an individual had been arrested upon arrival at one of the NYC airports, notwithstanding the fact that he planned to never load or un-case his firearm and to drive immediately to the Poconos (where he was staying and with having full Pennsylvania reciprocity). The arrest was simply for unlawful posession of a handgun.

Federal law (Title 8, USC) permit direct transit through areas that do not permit certain firearms (principally handguns), if (as I recall without looking it up) the weapon is unloaded, locked is a container that is inaccessible, and any ammunition is also separately boxed and locked. However, many LEOs -- especially in firearms-repressive jurisdictions -- are not aware of the statute. Accordingly, I will wager that the gentleman in the Post article was eventually exonerated, but not before he had considerable heartache.

Better to be safe than sorry.
 
Along the lines of what RWK said, if you are traveling via one of those grey area airports, and decide to take the risk, you might want to print out and bring along a copy of the FOPA.

It might not do any good, but it might.
 
I've been checking in a handgun on trips for many years.

Here are some key issues not covered above.

Ammunition is not difficult. I generally carry one box of whatever load I want in my carry gun. (Because it might not be available where you are going, you might arrive after dark, plus, driving around an unfamiliar town trying to find a box of specific rounds is a PITA.)

If you carry ammunition in your checked luggage, it must be in the orignal box. Don't, for example, pack it in one of those plastic after market boxes.

I do not pack the ammunition inside the hardshell case, unless the hardshell case is designed for that. There is a hardshell case made by Winchester that has an unpadded compartment inside the case for a box of ammunition. (On one rough ten hour flight the contents of the hardshell case moved so that the pistol was rubbing against the cardboard box, and I was not happy with the results.) Here is the case:
http://www.exploreproducts.com/handguncasewgs7702.htm

There are limits to how much ammunition you can pack with you. For example, Delta's website says "...We do allow small arms ammunition, in quantities not exceeding 11 lbs. (5 kg) per person"

When you go up to the check in counter, tell the agent you need to sign an orange tag. You sign the tag and place it inside your checked luggage, but NOT inside the hardshell pistol case.

One reason that I don't use the plastic case your pistol came in is because try as you may, you might not be able to keep the pistol on your person on every occasion on every trip. It may need to be left locked in a rental car trunk, or possibly locked in a hotel room, inside your suitcase. It represents a potential liability, so I use a trigger lock and lock the pistol inside a robust aluminum pistol case I bought at Cabelas, or in the Winchester aluminum hardshell case mentioned above.

Also, as brickeyee mentioned above, not every rental car HAS a trunk. I carry a cable padlock to be able to lock the hardshell case to something rigid inside the rental car (under the seat, etc.) in the event that my travel plans suddenly change. Travel plans have been known to not work out as you intended...

Some airports - for example, Denver International Airport - have a rather time consuming requirement. After you check in and declare the firearm, sign the orange tag, and lock it inside your hardshell suitcase, the ticket agent calls over a security person who places your suitcase on a luggage dolly and rolls it over to a TSA office. At the TSA office they scan your suitcase while you watch, and affix a tag to it indicating that it has been pre-scanned. Then you take it back to the ticket agent, and your bag proceeds back to the luggage area on the standard conveyor belt. It easily adds 25-30 minutes to your processing time.

If you know about it in advance, you can allow for it. But if you don't, it can make a tight schedule much less enjoyable. Therefore, I generally allow at least an extra half hour - or a total of 2.5 hours before take-off - just because airports are unpleasant under the best of circumstances, but having a gun in your bag can complicate your anxiety significantly. Give yourself lots of time. You can always grab a coffee and a paper and relax if you have extra time after getting in through security.


Finally, don't take your prize whatever that was your Dad's, that you won, that you spent $3K on, whatever. I've had two suitcases disappear and simply never be found. The airline carrier pays you off with pennies on the dollar, issues a letter of apology, and ignores any ranting you do afterwards. Good luck with trying to sue an airlines. [Edit: the two suitcases were lost on overseas flights and did not have firearms in them. I have not lost 2 handguns. But it happens.]

So, carry a work gun, something you don't mind losing if it happens. Have insurance on it, photographs of it, receipts and serial numbers, etc.

Happy Trails!

Doc
 
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Almost there...

OK, I saw some TSA approved gun cases with built in locks online.

I'm still unsure about how the ammo needs to be carried.
I am just talking about a 20 round box of SD ammo.

Can you just place the box of ammo in the same luggage?
Should it be placed in a small cardboard box and just taped up with shipping tape? Do you need to declare the ammo, too?

The TSA says:

You must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging that is specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
 
Covered that in the above post, but one more time.

Leave your 20 rounds of SD ammo in the box they came in.

You do not need to put this box of ammunition inside another cardboard box, or tape it up.

Place the box of ammunition inside your hardshell suitcase, unless your hardshell pistol case has a compartment for a box of ammunition. Reason: the box of ammunition can damage your pistol under some circumstances.

You do not need to declare your ammunition, although the ticket agent may ask if there is ammunition in the suitcase.

Make sure your TSA-approved pistol case does not have TSA locks built into it. It should just have small holes that a padlock will fit through, or else padlock fittings along with a small combination lock. But only you (not TSA) should have access to your pistol inside the pistol case.
 
Along the lines of what RWK said, if you are traveling via one of those grey area airports, and decide to take the risk, you might want to print out and bring along a copy of the FOPA.

It might not do any good, but it might.
Click to expand...

Keep a copy handy - it might help. Sure did for me!
 
Be wary of flying with a gun if you have a connecting flight through a gun-hostile state. If weather or some other unforeseen circumstance strands you there you will be in a pickle--you may find you can not legally claim your luggage.
 
From what I understand, ammo must be in a box/lock box? the gun must be unloaded and locked.

Also I believe the ammo must be in original box that you bought it in. So you can not store 9mm/357 ammo in a 38 box or some other caliber.
 
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