Rhino
New member
I've flown with a gun numerous times. It's generally a non-event if you're familiar with the procedure. You're already ahead of the curve by looking up the rules and asking questions ahead of time. Most ticket agents are happy to find a passenger who has prepared in advance. I often get the impression that many gun owners don't bother to check the rules before travelling, which reflects badly on all of us.
Tell the ticket agent you need to declare an unloaded firearm. They may or may not need to inspect it at the counter, depending on the procedures at that airport. The ticket agent will give you a tag, usually orange, that will be placed inside the suitcase with the locked gun case. At some airports, the ticket agent will take your bag from there and that's it. At other airports you will have to go through another TSA check-in, where they will most likely ask you to open the case, or ask for the key, so they can confirm that the gun is unloaded and has been packed properly.
I actually gave an impromptu class once for three ticket agents and a TSA agent in Dayton Ohio on how to check a semiauto handgun to see if it was loaded. I had arrived very early for a flight and no one else was around. When the ticket agent mentioned she was supposed to confirm that the gun was unloaded but she didn't know how, I volunteered to teach her. I guess she felt comfortable with that because my ID had already told her I was retired military, but that's just a guess. She turned and invited the other two ticket agents and the TSA agent who overheard walked over to see as well. I spent about five minutes with them explaining different variations they might see, and expressing heavily the safety aspects. They all knew revolvers, but not semiautos. The TSA guy was relatively new, and he said they went over it really fast in training.
As was noted earlier, check airline requirements in addition to TSA's. Some airlines will supplement what TSA says. Also, the ticket agent may not even know the requirements. I've even had that happen with a TSA agent once. For that reason I always take a copy of the TSA requirements and the airline policies with me. The misinformed TSA agent I ran into one time wouldn't budge until I showed him the requirement from the TSA web site in black and white right in front of his face. I had to dig into my bag to find it, and now it's front and center every time I check in, right next to my tickets and ID card.
Technically you can pack your ammunition in the same container as the gun, but Title 49 CFR part 175 requires that ammo be packed in a case made for ammo. You can't have loaded magazines, speed loaders, stripper clips, etc. With that in mind, if you're packing that all in with your gun, that's going to be one mighty big locked case, so I suggest just packing the ammo seperately. The magazines, speed loaders, stripper clips are supposed to be packaged too. I take one of the lockboxes (like this one) out of my truck and pack both my gun and the empty magazines in it.
This also gives me a lock box to use in my rental car and/or hotel at my destination. Then I pack my ammo in one of those cheap plastic ammo boxes and tape it shut.
One thing to keep in mind is that TSA uses 'sniffers' to detect the presence of explosives in baggage and there's always the chance that they'll generate a 'hit' on the gunpowder residue from your gun and/or accessories. I've never had this happen, but the possibility always exists so keeps your ears open in case they page you to come open the case.
NEVER use a TSA lock on a gun case. Not only is that a violation of the rules, it's also very easy and very common for criminals to get a TSA key. When they see a TSA lock, it just screams, "STEAL ME!!!!!"
