Air Travel with your firearm(s) - Any issues?

[Member Not Registered]

I'm looking for some honest insight from those who are regularly declaring their firearms with their airline at baggage check in. I believe that I understand the TSA regulations and requirements for securing the unloaded firearm and ammo in a locked case, however I have some reservations since the firearm will be out of my sight until the baggage is properly delivered to baggage claim at my end destination. Any advise or concerns that I should be looking for throughout the process? It's my understanding that post TSA inspection they simply place the locked gun case into your checked bag and then this bag is simply picked up like a normal baggage claim amongst the public. Is there any insurance or responsibility placed on airline if the bag or firearm go missing?

 

[B40B]

Not sure on any responsibility, but I have flown with long guns in the past and it has been just like flying with a set of golf clubs I'd assume. Once they check the contents and make sure everything is on the up and up, you lock your cases and send them through. When I arrive in Chicago (Midway) they typically have the gun case off to the side for pickup. Other airports it was on the conveyor with the rest of the luggage. I haven't had an issue, but I understand your concern of things that get lost.

 

[STEEL CORE]

I have never had an issue, firearm must be declared to the air carrier (ticket agent) , UNLOADED, properly packaged and secured in you CHECKED BAGGAGE, that goes under the plane in the cargo hold.

 

[Fixer]

I have traveled to Colorado and Utah with Firearms and ammo with no issues. I fly American and the process has been fairly easy with no hassles or delays. I just followed their guidelines for traveling with firearms posted on their website.
I was surprised that the airports didn't check to verify they were unloaded like they said they do.
Like stated above. Locked in a case that when unlatched and still locked, firearm cannot be accessed. Can be in checked bag if case is small.

 

[hpclayto]

I’ve done it probably a dozen times and never had an issue. Just follow your airlines rules.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

I flew to Reno a couple years ago with a rifle. After showing it at the counter and satisfying the ticket agent, I quickly zip tied the holes with the padlocks, clipped the ends with side cuts, and threw the extra zip ties and side cuts into my suitcase (cargo). Rifle went both ways without being opened.

 

[Member Not Registered]

well, I was hoping to update this post with my experience after my travel with my EDC, but unfortunately my trip has been canceled twice now due to the China Virus. - Stupid Biden... I mean Covid.

 

[MrSmitty]

My wife is planning on us flying to Florida in December...I will be taking a gun....I've been looking at the Liberty TSA approved gun safes, The Exchange (AAFES) Has one for about $40, get shipping free, being a crusty old vet....Last time I flew with a gun, boy did my arms get tired....Ba dum dum....Sorry...flew in 2012, no issues, actually flew out to Colorado, drove to Cali, flew out of Cali, had more trouble with our dog, than the gun....Hoping for as little trouble as then....

 

[mike4sigs]

I just came back from a trip made a Plan change in Charolette I had to move our checked bag from one Conveyor to another it looked fine.
Picked it up at Fort Wayne it looked like the Gorilla on the Samsonite commercial played with it.

 

[mike4sigs]

OP
Where was you planning on going that The C-FLU made you Cancel your plans ?
I just Came Back From The Dominican Replublic and it went smooth other than A Mean TSA Agent At Charolette airport Confiscated Some Rum i bought at the Duty-Free Store at the Dominican airport after we had been thru TSA Checkpoint in the Dominican. She Said the Store did not Package it right for the TSA check point

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Flew to St. Pete and back in late Feb. to early March for the Grand Prix. Allegiant from South Bend and back. No issues per usual.

 

[bwframe]

It's been many years since I last flew with a pistol.

Something interesting I haven't often heard was to use those cheap gun locks that come in the boxes with new pistols. Put one down the barrel, another through the mag well. If you have it, a third through your hard case lock points. Saves your expensive looking 1911 from opportunist TSA inspectors and luggage handlers. Baggage xray sees all those locks and shy's off anyone with a brain.


.

 

[Goodcat]

Airline workers know what a huge deal and investigation it would be if a firearm turned up missing, no one is gonna steal it. I’ve always followed protocol, the check-in attendant asks to see where the locked case is in the bag, the bag gets closed and isn’t touched until I check the bag in at their customer service counter on the other side. Never had an issue.

 

[bwframe]

Airline workers know what a huge deal and investigation it would be if a firearm turned up missing, no one is gonna steal it...

luggage handler stealing firearms - Google Search

 

[Goodcat]

luggage handler stealing firearms - Google Search

Well I stand corrected. Wow, that’s crazy!

 

[Ashton1911]

Make sure you have a lock on, and I have found that if I leave everything locked open, nobody has any issue, although the checkin agent might not know what they are looking at, the TSA screener with the xray machine has never had me come aside to open it so they can check.

 

[Erich]

If I may . . . I fly a fair amount with firearms (maybe 12 flights a year) and I've been flying with firearms since the Eighties (so I've seen a lot of changes in required procedures - believe it or not, it use to be okay to have it loose in the bag and they used to just stick the orange "FIREARM UNLOADED' tag on the outside of the bag in a preposterous "STEAL ME!" move). Anyhow, things have settled down after 9/11 (for a couple years after that, they wanted to grope your gun every time) and no one has asked to see my gun for maybe five years, so I leave it locked (unloaded - ammo separate!) in the hard case inside the suitcase. I tell the gate agent, "I have a special circumstance: I'm traveling with an unloaded, locked firearm in a hard case," S/he has me fill out the orange card and tapes it to the hard case inside the suitcase. Depending on the airport, s/he then tells me to 1) wait five-ten minutes until TSA clears the bag and she gives me the high sign before going through security or 2) take the bag to a specific TSA station so they can swab some tissue thing around inside the suitcase and then pack it into the luggage conveyor belt. The first is the most common, but MDW and MIA (and some others) do the second.

I often do the "lock the gun inside the hard case" thing that bwframe mentions, figuring that it shows the gun is unloaded should the case be X-rayed. I'd like to recommend folks consider buying one of those locking hard cases with a cable that are sold as mini-safes for your car. I prefer one with a keyed lock, although I've used a combo-lock one with no issues. I use a hardshell rolling suitcase in a glaring color as the main bag, and then internally secure the cable of the mini-safe through the frame that holds the collapsible handle and wheels to the rolling suitcase. I made a small slit with lined edges in the lining fabric to do this - it looks reasonably professional and my hope has been that the fact that the gun is cabled to the frame of a large suitcase would prevent a thief from being able to slip the small lockbox under his shirt before a run to dump it somewhere to take home later.

I'll also sometimes cable in another small safe of the same sort with the ammo - that way there's no question that the ammo is separate from the gun, and it's easy to find in the bag on the other end.

I've had luggage carrying guns lost or delayed a few times. I made a point of telling the luggage agent that they had a missing firearm in their system, and of getting a name and a report number from the person. Bam!, the luggage appears the next day.

I ought to be flying into IND next week, so if you see an out-of-shape guy hauling this mess, wave and say hi.

 

[XbigcheezX]

My wife is planning on us flying to Florida in December...I will be taking a gun....I've been looking at the Liberty TSA approved gun safes, The Exchange (AAFES) Has one for about $40, get shipping free, being a crusty old vet....Last time I flew with a gun, boy did my arms get tired....Ba dum dum....Sorry...flew in 2012, no issues, actually flew out to Colorado, drove to Cali, flew out of Cali, had more trouble with our dog, than the gun....Hoping for as little trouble as then....

There is technically no TSA approved gun safe like with luggage (which TSA can unlock), the rule is you, and only you have the key. Any portable locking case will do provided it is lockable and only you have the key or combination. TSA is not allowed to open and inspect it after tagged by airline (although they can request you unlock it for them during xray, a customs check or something, never had it happen). I have heard of people using this rule to lock down a whole bag using pelican cases as luggage, but don't recommend it. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

I use one like this, that fits my p238 and a small plastic ammo box in it. https://amz.run/5fwt never had a problem, flown to fl, vegas, colorado, tx.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

luggage handler stealing firearms - Google Search

This is why I cable lock my pistol case to the interior frame/webbing of the suitcase. Suitcase locks are defeatable with a TSA key by requirement, but then you'd have to have a way to cut the frame or the cable and do so in a time frame and manner to not draw suspicion.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I just flew to Albuquerque, NM and back last week, with flight changes/layovers both ways at O'Hare. Thanks to BBI's advice on a case and locks, I had no issues whatsoever. I used a cable lock to lock the handle of the pistol case to the interior frame of my suitcase. At IND and ABQ airports the American Airlines check-in people just looked into the case to make sure it was unloaded and tagged it so I had to pick it up from the baggage office instead of it being put on the luggage carousel.