My wife and I are planning a short trip to Florida. This morning she asked about taking her revolver along. I know in theory it's legal to fly with a firearm in checked luggage and I've reviewed the procedures. However have any of you actually done this? How did it go? We have a direct flight so barring aircraft malfunction should not have to venture on the other side of the Blue Curtain.

I flew from WA to UT several times. When you're checking in, tell the agent you are "declaring a firearm". I put that in quotes because things like, "I've got a gun" or "There's a gun in my bag" might be interpreted in a manner differently than you intended. The Airline agent will ask you to confirm it's unloaded, give you a card to sign saying so, which you'll leave on top of the gun's container inside your bag.

Then they'll send you down to TSA, usually wherever one would take an oversized bag, and the TSA agent will swipe a patch through the bag and check for explosives. Don't ask me why, I don't know. I have never had TSA actually open the container, except once and he had no idea why he was doing it.

You pick up your bag at the other end of the trip on the carrousel just like everyone else.

Addl. Point
Make sure the gun is in an appproved hard container and locked. Make sure you have your CC permit with you and it's reciprocel in the State you're visiting.
Jim

I fly to AZ every year with a handgun. Check the TSA website as well as the airline website, follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

Interesting. Has anyone ever had their gun stolen from their luggage when flying this way? That's my greatest fear when flying armed, I'd almost rather leave the gun at home then risk it falling into the wrong hands.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Not theory at all. I have literally traveled around the world carrying guns in checked baggage, which is the law BTW. The gun must be in a hard, lockable case inside your checked bag. Declare at the ticket counter, do NOT curb side check the bag. Declare any ammo, also in checked bag. BE polite & helpful, you will experience some delay when traveling with guns. Do NOT carry anything in your checked bag that is gun related, this includes ear protection & holsters. It all carries GSR. Yes you can explain it away but it will cause you delay & hassle.
Last, review the firearm laws in the place you are traveling too. If it is NOT legal for you to have a gun there, you are screwed as soon as your bag hits the terminal. Why I try to only fly direct when taking guns & never travel thru/to cities like NY, Chicago, or countries like England.
As far as stolen. Yes, it happens, why I fly direct, the bags are handled less. Depending on the airline, bags with guns are often hand carried by security to & from the planes luggage bay (Lufthansa). Do what I do. If you are NRA member, you can buy a blanket policy against gun loss/stolen. About $10/$1000 annual policy cost, no ser# or gun specific, just cost of replacement. The airline only pays $600 for any luggage loss. So your $2000 1911 isn't getting replaced if stolen w/o insurance. It's just Murphy's law, no insurance, it's gonna eventually get stolen.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Can you have a loaded magazine in the hard case with the gun, or does ammo have to be stored separate.

I have traveled both ways, but best to NOT have ammo in a mag. You are leaving "ammo packed in a secure container" open to interpretation. Most TSA are non gun types & if they open your gun case, they may freak at a loaded mag. You can have the ammo boxed in the same case as the gun for most airlines. Foreign airlines is where it gets kinda weird. Be flexible, be polite, I have yet to be truly hassled. BTW, you are allowed 11# of ammo, but I have never had mine weighed.
Last Oct I was flying back from Atlanta, was at the GA State IDPA match. They were checking every passenger for GSR. I flagged because I had just packed my bag that morning & my cloths had GSR on them. So I had a lengthly visit with advanced TSA agents & a private pat down. No big deal we all parted friendly. Next time I will wash my hands better after packing.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

There are many, many threads on this very topic. A search will save you lotsa time, but here are some answers from one who has traveled with a gun in my checked bag scores of times and from many different airports.

First, check the TSA site and your airline's site. Info is basically the same but airport/airline procedures absolutely do vary.

Gun must be in a hardsided, lockable container. TSA locks are okay. Gun must be unloaded; ammo packaged separatly. In my experience, ammo in the manufacturer's original packaging is always approved. Ammo can be in the same case as the gun.

At some airports the counter agent willl ask to see the gun to ensure it is empty. Some don't care to look at it. Some will ask you to put the 'gun' tag which you will have signed inside the gun case. Some will affix it to the outside of the gun case. Some will have you do it. THE TAG WILL NEVER BE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SUITCASE IN WHICH THE GUN CASE IS CONTAINED. i.e. There is never an indication there is a gun inside the bag.

At some airports your bag immediately goes on a conveyor after you have checked in. At some airports you will accompany your lugggage to a TSA checkpoint. It makes no difference; simply do what they tell you.

I have flown scores of times with travel with a gun to all fifty (50) states. Never an issue of importance; NEVER HAD A GUN OR BAG STOLEN IN HUNDREDS OF TRIPS.

Hope this is useful.

Be safe.

I have flown hundreds of times and never had anything stolen.

Be safe.

A CC permit is absolutely NOT necessary to travel with a gun in one's checked bag provided, of course, you are not a felon or traveling to one of the very few states where mere possession of a gun without proper paperwork/approval is law.

Be safe.

At many airports/airlines (e.g. BWI/American) you do not accompany the bag to the TSA inspection site though at some airports (e.g. DCA/US Airways and Pittsburgh/US Airways) that is the procedure.

Be safe.

Atlanta thru Delta too. No ccw needed.
So far every foreign airline has had me take the gun/case to TSA or their version. If you fly foreign, you want a customs form that declares the gun originated in the USA.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

This thread was just written yesterday -

Handguns & Airlines

NEVER carry ammunition in anything but an original box. A loaded magazine could cost you the magazine.

Why I said I wouldn't do it even though I have in the past. Anything left to interpretation will be wrong in someone else's eyes. I use plastic ammo boxes taped shut, but factory cardboard is fine too, tape them shut as well.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Here's another recent thread:

Airline Travel Luggage with handgun

True. That may have to do with State laws about carrying a firearm in an airport, but outside the secure areas. Here in WA, open and concealed carry are fine as long as you are in the nonsecure areas of the airport.

As to ammo- I carried it in the original box, separate from the firearm.

As to theft- I keep the gun a steel box, locked (not a TSA lock either) with a cable that goes around the spine inside the luggage. To steal the box would take more time and thrashing than most thieves will have.

Oh yes! The lock must NOT be a TSA lock. Pad lock, you keep the key. Your checked bag can have a TSA lock, actually a good idea, I have had zip ties cut off, but the gun case, pad lock.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

If you have to make a connection. Avoid connecting in NY and possibly MD if possible. If not possible, stay with the same airline the whole way through or make sure the airline you are connecting with has a baggage transfer agreement with the originating airline.

People have been nabbed by the police for touching their bag in NY because they had a connection with an airline that did not have a baggage agreement. The people involved had to go the baggage claim to retrieve their bags so they could check them in with the next airline. The police were waiting for them and arrested them as soon as the people retrieved their bags. There is also a clock ticking as soon as you enter NY concerning transporting firearms. So, if you get stuck in NY for the night, you may have legal problems. It's best to just avoid those States if you can.

There has also been recommendations that if you are driving through the State of New York or Maryland, do not stop until you get back out of the State. Apparently people have had problems. Heck, a guy from Florida had problems in MD and he didn't even have a firearm with him. He had left it at home!

Why I will pay extra for direct flights or drive if I have to. I can't fly direct to Tulsa from SOCal so flew into Dallas & drove for the 14 Nationals. I had to have a car anyway. One of the guys flew into Tulsa with a connection, his bag was "lost". So kind of a problem when you need the gun for sure.
When I have flown overseas, I will not connect thru London or NY. Yes I often have to pay extra for that & extend my travel time, but when you must get to your destination with a gun, it's worth a little more time & $$. Buy the insurance too, just extra piece of mind.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

As a former lost baggage call center representative, yes! Get the insurance! I don't know what the coverage rates are now but 20 years ago, it was only $1290 or there about. And the airlines are self insured, so you are at the mercy of their claims reps and airline policy.

Here's an article about how complicated things can get in New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/su...oops.html?_r=0

"In many cases travelers actually declared their guns and offered them up in locked boxes at passenger check-in counters in New York, as they had done to legally travel with them from their home states. The problem is the weapons became contraband the moment they landed in New York, so the airline agent on the return trip had no choice but to call the police.

These offenders are arrested and never make it to the security checkpoint, so their weapons are not part of the T.S.A.’s confiscation count. Mr. Masters said that in recent years his office had seen about 50 cases like this annually. Violators are generally fined $250 and sent on their way. Their guns are seized."

Has nothing to do with state laws. Simply airport/airline logistics.

Be safe.

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG.

No i Am not wrong, it is my opinion. Anyone can open a tsa lock. Unless you are an idiot, put a pad lock on it.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I use a hard plastic case, locked with two padlocks, for pistol(s) and ammo. The ammo is in factory boxes. This goes in the suitcase. The suitcase has TSA locks, which are as useless as mammary glands on a bowling ball. I print and carry both the TSA regs and the airline's, which now generally overlap about as completely as possible. Most counter clerks are up to speed on the process now and seem unfazed.

I never say anything about a "firearm", or "gun", partly to keep nearby people from being curious or freaked out, and partly to make sure I don't freak out the counter folks (none of whom ever have). I just tell them I "have something to declare", and they get the message just fine. Where the luggage gets checked by TSA varies by airport, and I screwed up once and had to mail my knife home since I thought I was going to follow the suitcase to inspection. BTW, never had a problem with checking luggage w/guns in Chicago or upstate NY, but I have my LEOSA stuff and am good to go anywhere.

As much as I hate flying, this is about the least obnoxious part of it. The cramped seating and the other passengers who dawdle in getting on and off and dealing with the carry-on stuff, don't listen to the flight crew about sitting down and putting away their electronics etc are far more annoying.

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NHI, 10-8.

Federal law on handgun transport protects the traveler if the letter of the law is followed. That is, handgun is in the trunk of a vehicle in a locked case not in your direct control, etc. If the traveler stops in a state, overnight or to catch a plane, they are subject to state law at that point. In MD, NY or NJ, if you don't have a license valid in that state you are subject to arrest. I assume the same about MA, CA, CT. Many other states take a dim view of concealed carry w/o a valid permit. And, concealed carry is what you are doing when you are carrying the bag to or from the vehicle to the terminal.
Federal Court in NJ has a decision that the Federal Firearms transport law only applies to in vehicle transport.
Be very cautious and call law enforcement in the state you are traveling to or will be in if you have to take possession of your bag & firearm.

I think this could be effectively argued. Carrying a firearm, in a locked case to the trunk of a vehicle could certainly be deemed concealed, but likely tossed in court. There is no criminal intent, no malice or circumvention of the law. Still, the reason I don't travel thru certain states or oher countries, It's just not worth the hassle.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Good luck making your arguments, altho I hope you never have to. I prefer to be well informed & prudent.

I agree 100%, why I said I stay out of such places, even if it cost me time & money.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I flew to Las Vegas in October on United. After I declared the fire arm the agent gave me a card , same size as boarding pass stating I had advised there was a firearm in my checked luggage. On an earlier flight TSA had inspected my bag and had wrapped the hard case I was using with red duct tape. I took it that TSA did not think my hard case was secure enough so I bought a Pelican case. No issues since then.

There are some very good posts in this thread. I'm going to reiterate a few and add just a bit of information.

1) Print out the latest TSA and your alrlines policies. They are similar, but not necessarily identical. Carry those with you.
2) Depending on where you are flying, don't expect that either the airline personnel OR the TSA will know their own rules.
3) TSA locks are a joke. Do not lock your firearms with one. I prefer a key lock because once you give someone the combination, they know it.
4) Ask questions if something seems wrong. The USScair people at DFW almost caused me some grief with the TSA because they were unclear on their own procedures. The TSA guys were cool and told me that the USScair people screwed that up about once a day.
5) I never route through any New York, New Jersey, or DC airport. The "good" thing about unintentional overnight stays is that the airlines are NOT supposed to give you your luggage. Often, you'll be delayed but your luggage will be at your destination before you.
6)Once you fill out the Firearms Declaration Card, the ticket agent is supposed to confirm your information, inspect your firearms, and then do one of two things. If it's a stand alone gun case, the card goes on the inside. If it's a hard case inside a suitcase, the card is supposed to be taped to the outside of the case.
7)If you use a smaller case inside your suitcase, I recommend attaching it by a cable to the frame of the suitcase.
8)Do not load ammunition in magazines. It has to be boxed in either the original packaging or a box specifically made to hold ammunition.
9) You can have up to 11 pounds of ammunition. No black powder. Some airlines (Jet Blue) specify that the ammunition can not be in the same locked box as the firearms. Ammunition doesn't have to be in a locked box.
10) In general I have found the TSA pretty good about inspecting firearms. At some airports once you've checked in and declared the firearm the airline staff will have you bring the bag to a TSA officer. They may or may not ask you to open the case. I can not discern any rhyme or reason to that.
11) As others have said, know the law at your destination.

Sorry, this went on longer than I expected it to.

I've flown with firearms about a dozen times so far. Three of those times, my bags were misplaced in transit. All three times, they showed up intact. Airlines seem to be doing a worse job on the transfers these days.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Yes, you are wrong. "Must not" states your opinion as fact. Someone can put a TSA lock on and be within the law and airline regulations.

It would have been correct to say "should not" and then explain your reason why.


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I have flown with a hard plastic case with 2 of my padlocks. Last 2 times, I bought a small bicycle cable and locked the case to the inside of my suitcase. Would be easy to cut, but might stop a quick snatch. I recently bought a small Nano safe with a larger cable to use in my car. I may fly with it the next time.

No, again my opinion. You must not crash into a telephone pole while driving. Someone can certainly drive into a pole, but i woud say it's a must not. My opinion, not a should but a must, because using tsa locks on your case is asking for a gun to go missing. You two want to be grammar police, hit the ignore button.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Your comment was not factually accurate and for those who are asking legitimate questions of what they can and cannot do and be allowed to take their gun with them it could be misleading. Your reasoning for not using a TSA lock is very prudent, but it is also up to each person on how they choose to follow the rules. You should take your own advice and hit the ignore button if you are too thin skinned to take comments about your post.


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Nothing thin about my skin, but your opinion, & that is all it is, really doesn't interest me & it adds nothing to the original discussion. At least my response, whether you liked the way I put it or not, was useful & valid not just vapid moaning. So find someone else to pester, you are boring me friend.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I have traveled by air a handful of times with a firearm in my checked bag and it is simple and easy. Make sure you understand the rules for both TSA and your airline. Also make sure you check out handgunlaw.us to see the CC laws for the state you are traveling to. It's really no big deal.