Attention! Anyone Flying with a Firearm

[Isabel1130]

I think the rules vary from airline to airline so read those carefully first. Last time I flew with guns was last January and the TSA had us unlock the cases., looked at the guns, (stuck a read tag in the case or in the suitcase on top of the case that the guns were locked in,) I zipped up the suitcase and went on my merry way. The airlines for the most part don't know and don't care what you have in your checked luggage as long as you get cleared by the TSA and you are not carrying anything hazzardous. These days with all the extra fees for checked bags, I would try and put my locked gun box inside of my suitcase rather than checking it as a seperate piece of luggage. You don't want anything that looks like a gun box going through baggage claim. Isabel.

[Rutty]

I would try and put my locked gun box inside of my suitcase rather than checking it as a seperate piece of luggage.

That may be OK in the US Isabel but it won't work in Europe.

The airlines for the most part don't know and don't care what you have in your checked luggage

That may be the case on US domestic services; although I somehow doubt it; but you will find that the rest of the world cares very much.

Rutty

[Isabel1130]

I would try and put my locked gun box inside of my suitcase rather than checking it as a seperate piece of luggage.

That may be OK in the US Isabel but it won't work in Europe.

The airlines for the most part don't know and don't care what you have in your checked luggage

That may be the case on US domestic services; although I somehow doubt it; but you will find that the rest of the world cares very much.

Rutty

I am sure that the laws of the country have a lot to do with how guns are handled on their domestic airlines. If I was carrying guns in and out of the US I would be more comfortable on a US carrier but I would make sure I knew all the laws of the country that I was taking them to. I often flew with guns in my luggage to Germany and back in the 80"s. It was no big deal. Now things have changed. Isabel

[JSBmatch]

Isabel

I don't wish to enter into this 'hot' debate because i don't know too much about the subject. However, lets turn this on its side for a moment.

What kind of laws or legislation would you like to see implemented in the USA either nationally or State by State. Would each State cooperate with each other. Say you were a State governor, what would you like to see changed?
JSB.

[Jose Rossy]

If you are shipping a firearm (to yourself), it must go to an FFL holder ... both going & coming back... you'll have to complete the transfer paperwork at both ends.

That is incorrect.

Federal law allows you to ship a handgun or long gun via common carrier to yourself, care of another person. The person receiving the shipment is prohibited from opening it (only you can do that) and state and local laws must be followed.

You can ship it back to yourself by common carrier as well. In that case, make sure the arrival date of the package is after you return home.

(B9) May a nonlicensee ship firearms interstate for his or her use in hunting or other lawful activity?

Yes. A person may ship a firearm to himself or herself in care of another person in the State where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. The package should be addressed to the owner. Persons other than the owner should not open the package and take possession of the firearm

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/faq2.htm#b9

[Jose Rossy]

Isabel

I don't wish to enter into this 'hot' debate because i don't know too much about the subject. However, lets turn this on its side for a moment.

What kind of laws or legislation would you like to see implemented in the USA either nationally or State by State. Would each State cooperate with each other. Say you were a State governor, what would you like to see changed?
JSB.

I'm not her, but I'll answer anyway.

At the federal level:

I want to see the Second Amendment of the US Constitution incorporated upon the states.

I want to see the National Firearms Act of 1934 repealed. I want to see the overwhelming majority of the Gun Control Act of 1968 repealed.

I want to see harsh prosecution of police officers and their superiors who ignore and violate the protections afforded to us by the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986.

At the state level:

Even though in the majority of states a license is only required to carry a handgun, I want to see all licensing schemes repealed, as Alaska and Vermont have done.

[Jose Rossy]

Changed on 16 Sept 2009 / TSA Locks are now approved... It'll be in the re-write coming out soon...

I stand corrected.

Still, the security of my firearms is paramount and I will control access to them as much as possible.

So I will continue to secure their travel cases with locks for which only I have the key.

[Jose Rossy]

A question to the group -

I've been looking at purchasing a plastic pistol cases such as Doskosill or Flambeau(?) for use in transporting my pistols if I fly to a match. My thought was I could place my pistols locked inside a plastic pistol case and then insert the case inside my suitecase.

Is this allowed or must the pistol case be in a separate container?

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions on this matter?

TIA,
-s

Airlines control baggage policy and each one is slightly different from the other.

That said, I have not found an airline baggage policy that prohibits you from placing your locked pistol case in your checked luggage.

The only airline that I have seen with a wacky, stupid policy is Air Tran, which not only prohibits placing handgun ammunition in the same case as the handgun, it also prohibits you from storing it in the same piece of luggage as the pistol case. If you fly with Air Tran, your handgun ammo has to be in a completely separate piece of luggage. That is ridiculous and I do not patronize them even if it costs me more money.

Also, do yourself a favor and buy a real gun case like Pelican or Hardigg. Anything else is too flimsy, does not close securely enough to satisfy TSA, and/or will let your firearm shift around despite all the foam.

The last time I flew with a firearm I flew to Miami on Delta with an S&W M&P9, two magazines, and two 20 round boxes of 9 mm Luger in a medium sized Pelican case. I locked the case with a pair of Master locks (non-TSA) and placed it in my luggage. I also stuffed my holster with a t shirt to help it keep its shape and placed it amongst my clothes. Then I locked the suitcase with a TSA lock.

Checking in at Dayton and Miami through Delta and TSA was easy and painless.