Airline Travel With Firearms - A Reference
- Thread starter _Windrider_
- Start date
Take a photo of the firearm in the luggage when you pack it at home. Take lots of other photos of it from other angles. Record the s/n and everything else about it.
DO NOT TAKE PHOTOS OF THE FIREARM WHEN YOU DECLARE IT AT THE AIRPORT FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
After you declare the firearm and complete the declaration card DO take a photo of the declaration card.
The photos will come in handy if the gun comes up missing at your destination as there will be no other evidence or record showing that you have checked the firearm. This is especially true of the declaration card.
You may want to take a photo of the card in your luggage on top of the firearm. That would be the only exception to taking a photo of the firearm. I would hate to see someone get into a bad situation by pulling the gun out of a case or luggage.
DO NOT TAKE PHOTOS OF THE FIREARM WHEN YOU DECLARE IT AT THE AIRPORT FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
After you declare the firearm and complete the declaration card DO take a photo of the declaration card.
The photos will come in handy if the gun comes up missing at your destination as there will be no other evidence or record showing that you have checked the firearm. This is especially true of the declaration card.
You may want to take a photo of the card in your luggage on top of the firearm. That would be the only exception to taking a photo of the firearm. I would hate to see someone get into a bad situation by pulling the gun out of a case or luggage.
Article on guns stolen from checked baggage...
https://flyingwithfish.boardingarea...s-get-stolen-from-check-baggage-go-unnoticed/
https://flyingwithfish.boardingarea...s-get-stolen-from-check-baggage-go-unnoticed/
I travel around the country for work. Up to 40 round trips a year. So I have been through a lot of screenings. I have never once used a TSA lock on my firearm cases. Says only the passenger should retain the key or combo to the lock unless TSA asks for you to open it. Pretty cut and dry there. They say you "may use" any brand of lock including TSA locks if you choose.
My long gun cases get 4 locks. None of which are TSA locks. Pistol goes in pelican with two locks on it, inside my regular duffel and that duffel has a TSA lock. So they can open my duffel to inspect my luggage, but they will need to call me to open up the pistol case. I have been called 3 times in the last 5 years to come meet TSA to reopen my case. Every time I have asked for a uniformed police office to be present and I've never had an issue. They Re-lock my case up and off I go.
I have a printed copy of the TSA guidellines with me, and also the airlines guidelines that I am flying. (Southwest usually)
Not giving advice, but this is what I do. If your worried about it, use TSA locks.
Edit to add... I use a Sharpie to write all the info on my case, including my phone number. FDE case gets a black sharpie and a Black case gets silver. (sometimes need to use a paint pen).
"Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks."
My long gun cases get 4 locks. None of which are TSA locks. Pistol goes in pelican with two locks on it, inside my regular duffel and that duffel has a TSA lock. So they can open my duffel to inspect my luggage, but they will need to call me to open up the pistol case. I have been called 3 times in the last 5 years to come meet TSA to reopen my case. Every time I have asked for a uniformed police office to be present and I've never had an issue. They Re-lock my case up and off I go.
I have a printed copy of the TSA guidellines with me, and also the airlines guidelines that I am flying. (Southwest usually)
Not giving advice, but this is what I do. If your worried about it, use TSA locks.
Edit to add... I use a Sharpie to write all the info on my case, including my phone number. FDE case gets a black sharpie and a Black case gets silver. (sometimes need to use a paint pen).
"Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks."
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1st off as a Aircraft Mechanic for Southwest Airlines for 23 years I appreciate those who have chosen to fly on my birds, thank you very much.
My biggest piece of advice is to pay attention to your surroundings, at Dallas Love Field a checked firearm goes behind the counter for TSA inspection, stick around for 30-45 minutes before actually going through the metal/small pee pee scanner, in Corpus Christie the TSA is right there at the ticket counter and you know immediately if your firearm is going to make it for the ramper to load in the belly. 99%, I use non TSA locks, YMMV.
Also the air on all commercial airliners up to 50% is recirculated, this is done to boost efficiency, but the only air that is actually recirculated is from the forward bag bin and electronics bay where the air is used for cooling various components , and it goes through a HEPA filter before being reintroduced in the cabin, then its vented overboard, unlike your car/truck we change filters when Boeing/Airbus says to.
My biggest piece of advice is to pay attention to your surroundings, at Dallas Love Field a checked firearm goes behind the counter for TSA inspection, stick around for 30-45 minutes before actually going through the metal/small pee pee scanner, in Corpus Christie the TSA is right there at the ticket counter and you know immediately if your firearm is going to make it for the ramper to load in the belly. 99%, I use non TSA locks, YMMV.
Also the air on all commercial airliners up to 50% is recirculated, this is done to boost efficiency, but the only air that is actually recirculated is from the forward bag bin and electronics bay where the air is used for cooling various components , and it goes through a HEPA filter before being reintroduced in the cabin, then its vented overboard, unlike your car/truck we change filters when Boeing/Airbus says to.
Getting ready to fly for the first time with a rifle and a handgun. Reading through those Delta regs, I can't tell if it is ok to have them both in the rifle Pelican case?
That is a good idea taking photo's. But why not take a photo of your firearm(s) before it gets locked back up after TSA inspects it? That, to me, is an official situation that THEY cannot deny. A here it is, and here you are, looking at it. I would highly recommend you don't include their faces.
What I was trying to say didn't come out very well.
I would advise against removing the firearm from the luggage to photograph it. Imagine the confusion and fallout when someone takes a gun out of their luggage at the ticket counter in a crowded airport.
If you can take a photo of the firearm while is it laying inside the luggage, I think that would be okay.
I would hate to see someone become the victim of a misunderstanding by taking the firearm out of the luggage.
I hope that clarifies what I was attempting to communicate.
When I flew last month they had my hand guns come out with all the other baggage. No special handling lol.
So these are probably stupid questions but...
1) Chamber Flags. Good idea or bad? I'm torn because on one hand they are flagged to show the chamber is clear but on the other hand there is soemthing in the chamber. Ugh!
2) I plan on taking my STI and a glock for a back up for training. If I place the STI in its factory soft case and the glock in its factory hard case andplace BOTH in a Pelican with locks am I good to go or inviting trouble? I'm just gonna leave the ammo at home and buy when I get there. Seems easier!
1) Chamber Flags. Good idea or bad? I'm torn because on one hand they are flagged to show the chamber is clear but on the other hand there is soemthing in the chamber. Ugh!
2) I plan on taking my STI and a glock for a back up for training. If I place the STI in its factory soft case and the glock in its factory hard case andplace BOTH in a Pelican with locks am I good to go or inviting trouble? I'm just gonna leave the ammo at home and buy when I get there. Seems easier!
TSA is going to do whatever they want. I checked in my rifle, waited 10 minutes, was told by the ticket agent I was good, got on the plane, sat down, and was pulled off because the TSA all of a sudden needed my case open again. You can do everything right, follow the rules to the letter, and the TSA can still mess with you.
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