Everytime I have flown they have removed zipties and or non tsa lock to examine the contents. Maybe your airports work differently but that's the way they do it in my part of the world whether it's right or wrong I can't say. I am speaking strictly on the suitcase not the gun case.
When the suitcase is the actual gun case (Elenor situation or say a rifle case), by law it has to have a non tsa lock, and they have to follow strict protocol before they can open such a case no matter what airport it is.
And the easiest protocol to follow is to call the passenger to open it (or illegally provide them the key to open it, which they will request first). They won't care what flight you are on or when it is leaving. Personally, I think zip ties just scream, "Cut me off, I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU TO!" Followed in a few seconds by, "OK", snip, snip.
Honesty was the best policy on this trip.
...On the way home, I once again told the ticket agent "I wish to declare an unloaded, locked firearm inside my checked luggage" and the Pensacola check-in employee had me sign the orange tag, this time without even asking me to open it or show it to him.
Apparently it's the folks who don't declare that find themselves in a heap of trouble. Honesty was the best policy on this trip.
Elenor,
but OUTSIDE of your hard sided locked gun case. Southwest tapes it to the top of your case, United just sets it in your suitcase,
you experience does not match mine. I never traveled with a gun on southwest or united but I have many times on american and once on delta and every time the airline personnel asked to see the unloaded weapon and had me place the card INSIDE the locked box containing the weapon.
YMMV
like I said I've always been told to place the tag inside with the gun and I have never had to be called for any sort of extra inspectionThe problem with the declaration tag being inside the locked gun case is that if TSA wants to verify that it is a true and signed declaration tag they have to call you to open your locked pistol case. If it is outside the locked pistol case, inside the luggage they can inspect it without your presence. My luggage had the TSA notification of inspection in it when I arrived at my destination.
like I said I've always been told to place the tag inside with the gun and I have never had to be called for any sort of extra inspection
What airline? I would like to contact them and find out their official policy. The way a TSA supervisor told it to me is, that it has to be on the outside of the gun case, so they can see it was declared. Otherwise, an XRay machine can't read paper (at least that is what he said). Makes sense to me. Outside of the gun case, inside the suitcase. I could see that being different with long guns, or a bigger case. I always travel with my handguns in a locked case inside of my suitcase.
FWIW
Peace
like I said in my post, both american and delta. I flew southwest once with the weapon but I don't recall what they didWhat airline? I would like to contact them and find out their official policy.
Peace
Yeah, but see? THAT is what I'm trying to find a way to avoid. I want to have the non-TSA lock on the outside of the actual suitcase (hard-sided, of course). Except... then it means the airline declaration has to go out on the outside of the actual suitcase, which is a flag for (whole bag) theft... but ... I was hoping for a way to keep the whole doggoned thing secure! I'll be carrying nearly $2k worth of 'gear' in that suitcase -- the gauges and devices my company makes; it's partly/mostly a sales trip to my biggest distributor.Elenor,
I fly quite often with my firearm. I glanced through some of this thread, and saw you were getting some pretty interesting advice.
Keep it simple. Put a good heavy duty padlock on your hard case, inside your regular suitcase. ... The declaration form MUST go INSIDE your suitcase, but OUTSIDE of your hard sided locked gun case.
I got my GunVault yesterday (thanks for the advice, folks!) -- and it came in a plastic clam-shell taped (badly) and, while the vault itself worked, the side 'rail' (that I suppose is supposed to prevent a screwdriver from getting inside?) was rusted AND not welded to the vault body! (!!!) Ordered it from Amazon -- so it went right straight back, and they're sending another...I added a nice bicycle lock through the handle of my case, then wrapped it around the inside "frame" of my suitcase. That effectively prevents any smash and grabs.
Several folks have offered (and I will take!) advice to ask them, when the TSA are 'clearing' the gun, to also do their '"security" (we need a emoticon for disgusted!) search of the bag.I would also put a label on the outside of your gun case (not your suit case) with your phone number, and a statement asking them to call you if they have any issues.
When I was flying out of Phoenix one time, they had my bag for 1.5 hours, before they called me to say they wanted to see inside my case. I had to deboard, and miss my flight, so they could look inside (but that is another story). They claimed that it took them that long to find my number...hogwash.
EEK! I usually lock (yes, TSA-enabled crap locks) AND those notebook-rings that are so hard to open (on every suitcase compartment!). Oddly, I don't think I've ever had them cut... but I fly only 1-2 times a year... I HATE HATE HATE the thought of people going through my stuff!I don't even lock my suitcase. It looks just like everybody else's bag, and criminals know you usually lock what you don't want them to take. I also double check to make sure my gun case is still in my suit case when I take it off the carousal. That way you catch any problems before you leave.
that will not be acceptable you need to visit the TSA site, read the rules and regs and then follow the rules and regsThanks agman!
Yeah, but see? THAT is what I'm trying to find a way to avoid. I want to have the non-TSA lock on the outside of the actual suitcase (hard-sided, of course).
that will not be acceptable you need to visit the TSA site, read the rules and regs and then follow the rules and regs
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