First time flying with gun -- am I doing it wrong?


Elenor

New member
I've been reading and studying and planning... I'm flying Delta from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale (and later, back) in mid-December. I'm bringing my S&W 9mm because I'm driving around by myself (old-ish white lady) and I do not like to be disarmed. My CC license covers me in both states; and of course I'm bringing copies of the laws in both states with me. (And my CC license, and copies of the TSA laws and the Delta rules...)

Please, can anyone tell me if I'm over-preparing or doing it just about right?

I've got a hard plastic case for my gun, but it's not lockable. I chose that because I've also bought a hard-sided carry-on suitcase (that I will check) and (my reading leads me to conclude) if I do NOT lock the gun case itself inside a suitcase, then I can (or, rather, "must") use a non-TSA lock on that suitcase itself. Because I'm also not comfortable that the suitcase zipper and the expansion zipper are secure (enough), I am also planning to use the PacSafe 55L (wire security mesh) with a non-TSA lock around the entire hard-case suitcase.

Does that seem reasonable? (Does that seem like it will or won't raise all kinds of flags from both/either TSA or the baggage-handling apes?) I'm not at all comfortable with the idea of putting a locked handgun case in an easily opened suitcase -- hard or soft-sided. (The fact that it keeps any (out-of-sight) TSA from pawing through my cloths is also a benefit!)

Glad to be here, hope I can get some advice,
Elenor

p.s., I am packing the ammo out of the mag; just enough ammo to fill two mags, in a factory box in an unlocked plastic box in the checked hard-sided suitcase.
 

The hard sided suitcase with a non tsa lock is sufficient as a gun case. Some airlines require the ammo to be separate, or in your situation, in its own case inside the suitcase. Each airport does their baggage handling a little different from counter to plane and from plane to baggage claim. Once the firearm is declared and you have the firearm locked in the case, tsa can not lawfully open your case.

As for whether the mesh covering will give away your bag is really up to how the airport deals with handling. At Salt Lake City airport they have a tsa agent hand deliver the luggage directly into the plane, never in the hands of airport personnel. Other airports do send the bag through airport personnel, and in my mind, the mesh will add a deterrent effect most bad guys won't bother trying to pry into, especially with your own lock on the mesh and another on the suitcase.

I have never flown with a hard sided suitcase, but I have had one airport go through my soft sided suitcase again. They couldn't open my firearm case which was wrapped through my entire suitcase and all my valuables with a 5k lb cable. The only reason I knew they went through it was they left a tsa note saying they searched my bag again. If I had a hard sided suitcase locked with my firearm inside, they would either need me or an officer present to cut the personal lock, and they wouldn't have justification after it has been declared and visually inspected by the tsa and counter agents.

You seem ready for your flight, much much more so than the normal first time fliers posts, be confident in your knowledge and never let them have your key or combination. They will have you sign a declaration page which goes along side but not in your gun case, and in your situation you will probably have to attach it to the outside of your case which will just be a large gun case itself. You might want to have a sleeve you can put the declaration in so it's not visible from the outside but they will see it when they X-ray your bag.

I do recommend those nano size vaults too (what you would use in a car) and use that cable to secure the box inside the suitcase and not worry about locking the entire suitcase.

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They will not let it on the plane without the case being locked period and if you lock your bag with a non TSA lock they will cut it off everytime, gun or no gun, and will look twice at everything in your bag. I have even tried zip ties on my luggage and the first thing they do is cut them off. Your best bet is a hard sided lockable gun case that only you have the key to and a suitcase with TSA locks this will give you the easiest experience. I even keep the ammo in a retail container inside the gun case and have no problems.
 
They will not let it on the plane without the case being locked period and if you lock your bag with a non TSA lock they will cut it off everytime, gun or no gun, and will look twice at everything in your bag.

Not true.

The case, whether it's a hard sided suitcase or gun case inside a suitcase can not have a tsa lock to be legal while traveling with a firearm. It's also illegal to open a suitcase that has been declared at the counter without an officer or the owner present.

I've flown nearly 20000 miles this year (once a week), through 9 different airports.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app
 
And to sercue it a little more their have been people will take the hardware that's in your suitcase and that if it have a handle, just tie your cable around the handle hardware inside but you might have to cut a little hole and wrap it around that. Have a good and safe trip and let us know how it went.
 
You're gonna need a lockable case for the gun: "The firearm must be in a hard-sided container that is locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from being accessed. Locked cases that can be pulled open with little effort cannot be brought aboard the aircraft."
Hence the hard-sided suitcase with the wire-mesh around it and a non-TSA lock on the suitcase and mesh. That set-up could not be pulled apart with little or much effort.

Other than that, no such thing as over-prepared! :)
Yeah, pretty much my view...hence my questions.
 
I've only flown commercially a few times in the last couple of years but I just put my locked GunVault storage safe in my locked suitcase. Ammo in original boxes went in the same suitcase.
GunVault NV100 NanoVault 100 #NV100
Thanks -- were you using a TSA-accessible lock on your suitcase and a non-TSA lock on the gun case? My understanding is that a non-TSA lock on the suitcase serves as the locked hard case.
 
I've been reading and studying and planning... I'm flying Delta from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale (and later, back) in mid-December. I'm bringing my S&W 9mm because I'm driving around by myself (old-ish white lady) and I do not like to be disarmed. My CC license covers me in both states; and of course I'm bringing copies of the laws in both states with me. (And my CC license, and copies of the TSA laws and the Delta rules...)

Please, can anyone tell me if I'm over-preparing or doing it just about right?

I've got a hard plastic case for my gun, but it's not lockable. I chose that because I've also bought a hard-sided carry-on suitcase (that I will check) and (my reading leads me to conclude) if I do NOT lock the gun case itself inside a suitcase, then I can (or, rather, "must") use a non-TSA lock on that suitcase itself. Because I'm also not comfortable that the suitcase zipper and the expansion zipper are secure (enough), I am also planning to use the PacSafe 55L (wire security mesh) with a non-TSA lock around the entire hard-case suitcase.

Does that seem reasonable? (Does that seem like it will or won't raise all kinds of flags from both/either TSA or the baggage-handling apes?) I'm not at all comfortable with the idea of putting a locked handgun case in an easily opened suitcase -- hard or soft-sided. (The fact that it keeps any (out-of-sight) TSA from pawing through my cloths is also a benefit!)

Glad to be here, hope I can get some advice,
Elenor

p.s., I am packing the ammo out of the mag; just enough ammo to fill two mags, in a factory box in an unlocked plastic box in the checked hard-sided suitcase.
the container the gun is put in must be locked with a lock that only you can open and then carried in luggage that can be opened by the TSA, failure to comply will cause you to not be able to transport your guns.
 
Hence the hard-sided suitcase with the wire-mesh around it and a non-TSA lock on the suitcase and mesh. That set-up could not be pulled apart with little or much effort.

I was mainly thinking of the possibility of running in to a TSA agent that is extremely literal with no imagination. Many of those people in the military, and I'd imagine TSA has it's fair share as well. I wasn't allowed to bring a three month old baby to work to pick up some paperwork! Apparently while he couldn't talk, he was still some sort of security risk.
 
Thanks -- were you using a TSA-accessible lock on your suitcase and a non-TSA lock on the gun case? My understanding is that a non-TSA lock on the suitcase serves as the locked hard case.

Correct.

the container the gun is put in must be locked with a lock that only you can open and then carried in luggage that can be opened by the TSA, failure to comply will cause you to not be able to transport your guns.

If the suitcase is hard sided, locked without a tsa lock, and can not be pried into, that is sufficient.

A rifle in a rifle case locked is also sufficient without being inside another case.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app
 
I was mainly thinking of the possibility of running in to a TSA agent that is extremely literal with no imagination. Many of those people in the military, and I'd imagine TSA has it's fair share as well. I wasn't allowed to bring a three month old baby to work to pick up some paperwork! Apparently while he couldn't talk, he was still some sort of security risk.

A hard sided suitcase is literally a hard sided case though.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app
 
The hard sided suitcase with a non tsa lock is sufficient as a gun case. ... Once the firearm is declared and you have the firearm locked in the case, tsa can not lawfully open your case.

As for whether the mesh covering will give away your bag is really up to how the airport deals with handling. At Salt Lake City airport they have a tsa agent hand deliver the luggage directly into the plane, never in the hands of airport personnel. Other airports do send the bag through airport personnel, and in my mind, the mesh will add a deterrent effect most bad guys won't bother trying to pry into, especially with your own lock on the mesh and another on the suitcase.
This was my feeling about it -- even if it marks out my suitcase as 'likely to have something someone would like to steal, the mesh means they're unlikely to get in. I read somewhere (I've been reading like mad!) that there might be a concern that the mesh could get caught up in some equipment -- but I think since it's cinched down tight around the case, it will stick out less than a handle.

I have never flown with a hard sided suitcase, but I have had one airport go through my soft sided suitcase again. They couldn't open my firearm case which was wrapped through my entire suitcase and all my valuables with a 5k lb cable. The only reason I knew they went through it was they left a tsa note saying they searched my bag again. If I had a hard sided suitcase locked with my firearm inside, they would either need me or an officer present to cut the personal lock, and they wouldn't have justification after it has been declared and visually inspected by the tsa and counter agents.
That's what I hope to 'enforce.'

You seem ready for your flight, much much more so than the normal first time fliers posts, be confident in your knowledge and never let them have your key or combination.
Thanks, I tend to way over-research anything that's important -- because if you know as much as you can, you're less likely to miss something or leave something out. And I am just *vehement* about making sure my gun is under my active control.


They will have you sign a declaration page which goes along side but not in your gun case, and in your situation you will probably have to attach it to the outside of your case which will just be a large gun case itself. You might want to have a sleeve you can put the declaration in so it's not visible from the outside but they will see it when they X-ray your bag.
Oh! GREAT point! I had not thought of that, but having it on the outside would be required...

I do recommend those nano size vaults too (what you would use in a car) and use that cable to secure the box inside the suitcase and not worry about locking the entire suitcase.
In the car I have it in my purse, and my purse fastened through my seatbelt. (Yes, I know, a purse is a bad choice, but it has to do for now.)
 
http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/firearms-and-ammunition

Elenor, I also suggest in your situation that you request they, tsa and airline personnel, search your bag in your presence while checking in if they don't all ready do so. That way they have no reason to search your bag later.

For instance, SLC just checked my locked container and all zippers didn't have any exposure residue on it before sending it in hand to my plane. One agent at SLC did check through my bag in my presence. After the check, no one was allowed in my bag.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app
 
A hard sided suitcase is literally a hard sided case though.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app

I get it, and thanks for the info. I wasn't sure it would count, which is why I originally answered that way. You never know with some places... I suppose I'm a little extra paranoid because the only place I've flown in the past couple years was California. Can't even bring them there! Here in CO registration is technically illegal (for now, anyway--who knows what will happen), so all my guns are illegal in CA!
 
This was my feeling about it -- even if it marks out my suitcase as 'likely to have something someone would like to steal, the mesh means they're unlikely to get in. I read somewhere (I've been reading like mad!) that there might be a concern that the mesh could get caught up in some equipment -- but I think since it's cinched down tight around the case, it will stick out less than a handle.

That's what I hope to 'enforce.'

Thanks, I tend to way over-research anything that's important -- because if you know as much as you can, you're less likely to miss something or leave something out. And I am just *vehement* about making sure my gun is under my active control.


Oh! GREAT point! I had not thought of that, but having it on the outside would be required...

In the car I have it in my purse, and my purse fastened through my seatbelt. (Yes, I know, a purse is a bad choice, but it has to do for now.)

Just remember the case can not be pried open. I've had one case they could barely lift a corner up, they told me they would let it go this flight but I would need a new case by my next flight. Your suitcase needs to be secure.

Sent from my HTCONE using USA Carry mobile app
 
Firearms and Ammunition | Transportation Security Administration
Elenor, I also suggest in your situation that you request they, tsa and airline personnel, search your bag in your presence while checking in if they don't all ready do so. That way they have no reason to search your bag later.
For instance, SLC just checked my locked container and all zippers didn't have any exposure residue on it before sending it in hand to my plane. One agent at SLC did check through my bag in my presence. After the check, no one was allowed in my bag.
What a great idea! Thanks, I'll do that!
 
I was mainly thinking of the possibility of running in to a TSA agent that is extremely literal with no imagination. Many of those people in the military, and I'd imagine TSA has it's fair share as well. I wasn't allowed to bring a three month old baby to work to pick up some paperwork! Apparently while he couldn't talk, he was still some sort of security risk.
I dunno, they make some VERY realistic dolls these days... ��
 
Elenor,

The best idea, in my humble opinion, is to make your suitcase look like every other suitcase on the carousel so nobody sees a reason to steal it. Thousands, of people fly each and every day with a simple locked pistol case (non-TSA lock) inside standard luggage locked with either a TSA lock, or not locked at all. In my humble opinion all you are going to do is raise suspicion with all your "extras", TSA is either going to break into your suitcase anyway, or call you to unlock it for them, they are going to finger your undies anyway, with you standing there and you are going to miss your flight. Really - in this case, I would suggest doing it like 99% of the other thousands of travelers do every day and save yourself having to spend your time with TSA while they inspect your suitcase and keeping your bag from looking like a desirable target for thieves.

Very, very, very few people have problems with a $10 pistol case locked with a master padlock or two stuck inside a normal suitcase.
 

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