TSA delay at airport.

Except that they're NFA items. ONLY the stamp holder or proper law enforcement persons can be in possession. Opening the case counts as such, doesn't it?
 
Except that they're NFA items. ONLY the stamp holder or proper law enforcement persons can be in possession. Opening the case counts as such, doesn't it?
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Nope, TSA has the right to open ANY item it feels might be a danger. The laws are written in a way to give them complete discretion. My father is one of the head TSA guys in Alabama.
 
two court cases in the past month question whether TSA searches—which the agency says have broadened to allow screeners to use more judgment—have been going too far.

A federal judge in June threw out seizure of three fake passports from a traveler, saying that TSA screeners violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Congress authorizes TSA to search travelers for weapons and explosives; beyond that, the agency is overstepping its bounds, U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley said.

In the case, a man named Fode Amadou Fofana used a valid driver’s license with his real name at a Columbus, Ohio, TSA checkpoint. Because he had purchased his ticket for a flight at the airport just before departure, he was flagged for secondary screening. He didn’t set off metal detectors and TSA’s X-ray equipment didn’t see anything suspicious, according to court testimony. The bags were swabbed for explosive residue and did not trigger any alarms. TSA agents opened the bags and searched inside because he was selected for extra screening.

According to the judge’s ruling, the TSA agent involved testified that she had been instructed to search for suspicious items beyond weapons and explosives and to “be alert for anything that might be unlawful for him to possess, such as credit cards belonging to other people, illegal drugs or counterfeit money.”

The agent found envelopes with cash, which she considered suspicious. Three other envelopes had something more rigid than dollar bills. She testified she didn’t believe there were weapons inside, but opened them looking for “contraband” and found three fake passports.
Limiting Searches

Judge Marbley said the TSA had no authority to open the envelopes. In his ruling, he said prior cases clearly established that airport security searches should be aimed only at detecting weapons or explosives.

“A checkpoint search tainted by ‘general law enforcement objectives’ such as uncovering contraband evidencing general criminal activity is improper,” the judge wrote.
 
I think many of the airport security guys and gals are there because they kept burning the fries at Mc Donald’s. You could have just printed out a form 1 or 4, had your kid sign it and put a postal stamp on it and they wouldn’t know the difference. FWIW Many of my police officer friends ask to see my paper work just so they can see what it looks like.
 
Those rulings are based on the fact that no weapons appeared to be present and no just cause existed for the searches. They have no bearing on the discussion at hand where actual firearms are present. When a firearm is present TSA can open any bag they chose if they feel a possible threat is present...which the presence of a firearm alone is justification of in the eyes of the law. Passports do not present a danger.
 
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Taking Guns On Plane Rides

Having traveled a number of times, here's how I go at it:

  1. Put the unloaded weapon(s) in a lockable hard-sided case with locks only you have the keys to open. TSA locks are not allowed.
  2. Steps that will make it easier to show that the weapon is unloaded - especially when x-rayed.
    • If the weapon is a
      • semi-automatic
        • lock the slide open
        • put a cable tie through the barrel and out the breach to show that the chamber is empty
      • revolver, flip the cylinder out
      • Do not put the magazines in this locked case with the gun(s)
        • it invites questions about them being loaded
        • if the gun case is "liberated" from the checked bag, the lack of magazines frustrates the thief, since the weapon is now initially a single shot one
  3. Check the airline(s) you are flying on:
    • Determine if the ammo MUST be in boxes (plastic reload boxes work) OR can fly in loaded magazines.
    • If loaded magazines are permitted, make sure the pouches fully cover the magazines
    • The round(s) from the chamber(s)/cylinder(s) must be in a box, not loose
  4. Secure and protect magazines (separately from the weapon) and ammunition boxes from possible damage.
  5. Put the lockable hard-sided case with the weapon and the ammo/magazines into a cheap, non-descript bag - with clear labeling outside and inside - for checking in.
    • If possible, develop a way to attach in a lockable way the hard-sided case to the piece of luggage it has been placed into.
    • The labeling should be limited to:
      • Your Name
      • Your Cell Phone - if you have one, or your home phone if you do not
      • Your personal email address - if you have one
      • NO ADDRESSES, JOB TITLES, ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE INDICATED
  6. Other stuff - like shampoo, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc, could be in this checked bag also.
  7. Have the rules for the airline in hand when you check this non-descript bag at the airport.
  8. Make sure you have the keys to the lockable hard-sided case with you and you alone (Per Federal Regulations 49CFR § 1540.111 Carriage of weapons, explosives, and incendiaries by individuals - http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...v8&view=text&node=49:9.1.3.5.9.2.10.6&idno=49) at all times. You will have to open the lockable hard-side case
    • to demonstrate to the airline that the weapon(s) are not loaded at check in (a signed form/tag indicating that will go in with the weapon(s))
    • if the TSA wants to see
  9. Have the serial number(s) and descriptions of your weapons on you, so if they "disappear" you can report the loss/theft immediately to the:
    • airline
    • FAA Regional Office
    • ATF Regional Office
Other things to consider:

  1. Check www.handgunlaw.us and/or http://apps.carryconcealed.net/packngo/index.php to determine:
    • If you can possess the weapon at all your stops
    • Where and how you can carry at all your stops
    • What are the deadly force rules in each state you are visiting
  2. Have a copy of the Don Young Transportation Letter on hand - http://www.anjrpc.org/DefendingYourRights/us letter.pdf. This covers changing modes of travel - car to plane to car - in a single journey.
 
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