Gun in checked bag...'new' info.

The Big D

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New to me, at least. :)

Traveled from Baltimore (BWI) to Austin, Texas (AUS) to watch the mighty University of Maryland Terrapins footballers deliver a proper beat down to the Texas Longhorns. ;)

Mission accomplished!

That said, traveled via United Airlines. Check in without incident at BWI. Orange tag signed and placed in suitcase. Bag immediately to the conveyor and off to the TSA baggage check area; agent asked me to wait 10 minutes. No word from TSA meant I was good to go..and off I went. BTW, TSA Pre Check is truly worth the price if you travel with any degree of regularity.

No issues upon arrival and baggage claim in Austin. Very quick delivery, too.

Of late UA does not permit online check in if the first portion of a trip involved a checked gun. That was true this trip. UA personnel at AUS were very efficient. No issue with declaring a checked weapon. Signed the orange tag but was told NOT to place it in the suitcase. Rather, I was directed to carry the suitcase and the tag to the TSA baggage inspection area that was adjacent to the UA counter. Agent there opened the suitcase, swabbed it for explosives, and told me to place the tag in the suitcase...outside the gun case.

Done!

No issues, as is usually the situation.

At the risk of opening the proverbial 'can of worms' anew, I must note the suitcase is a Samsonite hard sided with built in TSA combination locks. The gun case is a Doskocil secured by a TSA combination lock.

Zero issues with using TSA locks which I have always used whilst toting a gun in my checked bag. That encompasses scores of trips and includes airports from coast to coast in at least twenty (20!) states and the District of Columbia.

Hope this is useful info.

Be safe.
 
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TSA locks are a joke. I would never trust my firearm to one (or two). I'd also not use a combination lock, but that's just personal preference

This might be a UA thing, or a TSA Austin thing.

If you're traveling with a gun case inside a suitcase, the card goes on the outside of the gun case. If you're traveling with a stand alone gun case, the card goes inside.

At least that's how it's supposed to be, but I've learned that despite having one set of rules nationwide (on paper), there is a lot of airport to airport variation with the TSA.

Your gun locked case is NOT to have TSA locks on it - only YOU are to possess the key or combination.
 
Here we go...

In multiple previous threads I have referenced this. In my dealings with TSA and Homeland Security personnel in my working days, all indicated TSA locks were, indeed, permissible.

I have carried a gun in a checked bag for more than fifteen (15) years with scores, if not hundreds, of trips. (I traveled regularly/officially in my LEO days. Then I typically checked my gun instead of onboard carry.)

TSA personnel have inspected my carry in more than twenty (20!) states and many more airports. There has NEVER been an issue(s) or a denial of carry/travel.

What more can I say? :rolleyes:

Be safe.

Your gun locked case is NOT to have TSA locks on it - only YOU are to possess the key or combination.
 
New to me on my trip last week: Before they released my checked bag at my final destination, they zip tied the bag.
 
There is nothing at all new in anything that the OP wrote except UA's desire to not permit online check in if the passenger checked a firearm on the first leg of the trip. Everything else takes place regularly at different airports.

dgk777's note is new - they zip tied the bag before they let you take it from the airport???!!! What was that supposed to accomplish, exactly?

I bet I know. After the idiot who took his properly checked bag to a restroom after retrieving it from the baggage delivery, then loaded it and shot some people, they must figure that you cannot open a zip tie because you can't possibly have an edged weapon on you so you have to leave the airport without being able to open the suitcase.

Inane to say the least but I understand the mentality.
 
Earlier this year my case was zip tied for the first time. Traveling from Detroit to Vegas on Delta. Waited for ages at the carousel waiting for my case to show up but it didn't. Went to the lost luggage office and there it was all zip tied up. Asked for a pair of scissors to cut the ties off and they almost had a fit. YOU DON'T OPEN THAT CASE IN THIS AIRPORT! Settle down lady, I'm going.
 
Whether it's required by TSA policy/procedure or not, I wouldn't use a TSA lock to secure the gun case itself. Last time I flew with a gun the suitcase had a TSA lock but the gun case inside was secured with a non-TSA lock. I also used a cable lock to secure the gun case to the suitcase's frame.

FYI, this was a week or two after the FL airport shooting. I had to pick up my suitcase at the lost luggage office, but it wasn't zip-tied or otherwise secured beyond the locks I put on it. I flew Delta.
 
I haven't had any of my luggage zip tied, either.

Like you, I don't use TSA locks, I use good quality Master Locks, and like you, I have the gun case cable tied to the frame of the suit case. I figure the harder it is for a potential thief to steal something, the more likely it is they'll move on to another suitcase.

Whether it's required by TSA policy/procedure or not, I wouldn't use a TSA lock to secure the gun case itself. Last time I flew with a gun the suitcase had a TSA lock but the gun case inside was secured with a non-TSA lock. I also used a cable lock to secure the gun case to the suitcase's frame.

FYI, this was a week or two after the FL airport shooting. I had to pick up my suitcase at the lost luggage office, but it wasn't zip-tied or otherwise secured beyond the locks I put on it. I flew Delta.
 
I was a cop assigned to Denver Int'l Airport for almost 17 years. I was a trainer for several of those years, so I was privy to rules changes, etc. I can tell you there is no uniformity between airlines or airports when it comes to checked-in firearms. None. Some want to see it. Some don't. Some tape the tag on the gun box. Some put it in the gun box. And so on.
TSA does things according to the environment they're given. In other words, if their equipment is stashed behind closed doors not in a public area, your bag goes but you don't. If it's across the way from the ticket counter behind a screen, then you might go with it. Their rules are flexible enough that they can fit what they do almost anywhere. And really, what lock you put on your gun box is up to you. Never heard of any rule except you had to keep the key with you and not put it in the same bag as he gun.
 
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I've pretty much stopped flying anywhere for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the confusing TSA rules about guns. I don't like to go anywhere unarmed so that means lots of time behind the wheel of my sedan.
 
TSA Rules and Regulations

There is "One TSA Rule Book" to govern airline travel. Ever literate TSA employee or supervisor has their own interpretation. The TSA employees that can't read English follow there Supervisor's instructions.

I have encountered 3 different rule interpretations in one day at 3 different airports.
 
Interestingly, I can tell by the remarks that many of y'all are using soft sided luggage with zippers. Then you are putting hard, lockable gun cases inside those bags. Further, I am aware of this practice for years after the first time a friend of mine did it and showed me. I was astonished. It is, in my opinion, a misunderstanding of the FOPA rules.

The TSA publishes the following, in coordination with the rules established by the FOPA:

You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.

•Declare each firearm each time you present it for transport as checked baggage. Ask your airline about limitations or fees that may apply.

•Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only. Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations.

•Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage.

Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
If there is a copyright it belongs to DHS but I think their on line publications are public domain.

I admit I was unaware of that last rule so I posted it just FYI.

The important term is this:

You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only

Apparently, the traveling public, and the airlines, have come to the conclusion that soft sided, zipper closed baggage that has a locked, hard sided gun case inside complies with the above stated rule. I assure you that from a technical standpoint, from a legal standpoint, that interpretation is incorrect. Then there is this:

Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.


If someone can explain to me how soft sided, zippered luggage is NOT easily opened I would be obliged to hear that explanation.

When I travel with a gun it either goes into its own locking, hard sided suitcase or it goes into hard sided, lockable luggage. Locked by keys and combinations, Anything else is, technically, wrong and, worse, anything else is VERY vulnerable. I would rather check a hard sided Samsonite-type lockable briefcase with a gun inside of it than the fanciest zipper closed luggage, even if it is hard sided. I mean the kind where the lock is built right into the case's edge using various methods, locked by keys or combinations or both. Anything less is, well, less!

No luggage locks are super secure but all zippered luggage is easily opened. And resealed. I would never carry anything such a suitcase if it was of any value. That's not to say I don't use such cases but I don't pack anything in them that I cannot easily replace and certainly never a gun.
 
And every one of them told you, "All the other airports do it wrong, we're the only ones that do it right!"

At least that's the story I've heard.

It's as GerSan69 said in his post. There is some, sometimes wide, variation between airports. I think that a good deal of that is because the layout is different at every airport. None of them were built with the TSA in mind, although during upgrades that might be taken into consideration.

I will say that it helps when dealing with the TSA and airline employees to be polite. Honey, vinegar, all that. I've managed to get free hotels and meal vouchers when it probably wasn't required because I was smiling, commiserating with the airline personnel about how hard it can be to deal with the public, and kept the volume and tone of my voice friendly. It works even better if they guy in front of you was loud and obnoxious.

In 2012 I had a very tense situation with US Air and the TSA at DFW involving my checked firearms. The airline was wrong, but tried to blame me. The US Air manager was extremely rude, so I was extra cooperative with the TSA officers. By the time we were done, the issue had been resolved and the TSA officers were laughing at the US Air manager.

There is "One TSA Rule Book" to govern airline travel. Ever literate TSA employee or supervisor has their own interpretation. The TSA employees that can't read English follow there Supervisor's instructions.

I have encountered 3 different rule interpretations in one day at 3 different airports.
 
There is "One TSA Rule Book" to govern airline travel. Ever literate TSA employee or supervisor has their own interpretation. The TSA employees that can't read English follow there Supervisor's instructions.

I have encountered 3 different rule interpretations in one day at 3 different airports.

THAT IS THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!! Twice I have traveled with hard sided lockable luggage with guns inside and the airline people thought I was doing it wrong because I didn't have a case inside the case. Talk about misunderstanding the rules! :mad:


Thus my post immediately above.
 
Your understanding of the TSA regulations is incorrect. The gun itself must be in a hard case and checked. There is nothing in the regulations that says that the hard case can not be inside a soft case.

I've never had one TSA or airline employee tell me that I can't have a locked hard case inside soft suitcase. I've stood next to the TSA while they inspected the case (which is in fact a violation of their rules) and the only thing anyone ever said to me was "Nice gun, how's it shoot."

Do as you will, since it doesn't affect me, but it doesn't help to spread bad information.


Interestingly, I can tell by the remarks that many of y'all are using soft sided luggage with zippers. Then you are putting hard, lockable gun cases inside those bags. Further, I am aware of this practice for years after the first time a friend of mine did it and showed me. I was astonished. It is, in my opinion, a misunderstanding of the FOPA rules.
 
It would have to be a dire family emergency before I were to fly anywhere. If I took a firearm, it would be one I could afford to lose, as I do not trust airline personnel, as there are many reported stolen by them.
 
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Your understanding of the TSA regulations is incorrect. The gun itself must be in a hard case and checked. There is nothing in the regulations that says that the hard case can not be inside a soft case.

I've never had one TSA or airline employee tell me that I can't have a locked hard case inside soft suitcase. I've stood next to the TSA while they inspected the case (which is in fact a violation of their rules) and the only thing anyone ever said to me was "Nice gun, how's it shoot."

Do as you will, since it doesn't affect me, but it doesn't help to spread bad information.

Also, if his interpretation of the TSA rules were correct, then the major airlines would be recommending people to violate the law since the ones I've checked all say that as long as the gun itself is in a locked, hard-sided case, it can be placed inside a soft-sided suitcase.
 
Never heard of any rule except you had to keep the key with you and not put it in the same bag as the gun.

Transporting Firearms and Ammunition | Transportation Security Administration.

"Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations."

If you use a TSA lock you are technically violating this rule, or so I have been told. If they want the key to check your container it is supposed to be done in your presence.
 
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