Flying with a handgun in checked baggage.

[erratadata]

I just got back from a 2 week vacation in the Florida Keys, and since Florida is a full reciprocity state, I decided to bring a carry gun on the trip. I am a very infrequent flyer, so I had never tried this before.

In San Antonio airport I went up to the counter (American Airlines) and declared that I had a firearm in my baggage. She had me fill out a form declaring that the firearm was unloaded and put it in the luggage on top of the pistol case. Then the agent had one of the "floaters" take me to a room off to the side where a TSA agent had me open the suitcase. He started an app on a desktop computer and had a wand attached to it. He sniffed all inside my luggage with the wand, closed it up and put it on the conveyor belt for checking. Pretty easy.

In Ft. Myers. FL for the return trip, I declared the firearm, he had me fill out the "unloaded" form, unlock the pistol case and place it inside the case. Than he took the luggage and placed it on the conveyor belt. That was it.

I'm curious as to the "unloaded" form being placed in the case in one instance, and outside the case in another. Same airline, should be the same rules I would think. And the whole TSA thing? Again, no consistency.

Luckily, no issues at either airport, and no one even asked about ammunition. Has anyone had similar experiences?

 

[txinvestigator]

I have flown quite a few times with my handgun. While the basics are the same, I have always experienced slight variations.

 

[benenglish]

Yes, there will be slight variations. The firearms declaration, however, should always go *inside* the case. Leaving on the outside makes it a giant, neon "Steal Me!" sign.

It's not clear from the OP if on the outbound flight the form *remained* on the visible exterior of the case. For that matter, it's not clear how the TSA did their inspection of the case on the flight back to Houston. Flying with guns involves lots of details and nearly every case I see cited on a forum lacks sufficient detail to know what really happened.

To answer the OP's question, though, I've flown with firearms many times and "no issues at either airport" is exactly what I've always experienced.

 

[Renegade]

I'm curious as to the "unloaded" form being placed in the case in one instance, and outside the case in another. Same airline, should be the same rules I would think. And the whole TSA thing? Again, no consistency.

Federal Law says it must no go on the outside of the luggage. Where it goes inside is not specified, hence differences.

 

[jordanmills]

Yes, there will be slight variations. The firearms declaration, however, should always go *inside* the case. Leaving on the outside makes it a giant, neon "Steal Me!" sign.

The red-barred "firearms" tag they put on them, is a pretty useful "steal me" sign too.

 

[benenglish]

The red-barred "firearms" tag they put on them, is a pretty useful "steal me" sign too.

It's supposed to go inside the gun case. I know it looks like something designed to go outside (which, I think, it originally was) but it's still, as Renegade pointed out, supposed to go inside the case.

 

[Southpaw]

It's supposed to go inside the gun case. I know it looks like something designed to go outside (which, I think, it originally was) but it's still, as Renegade pointed out, supposed to go inside the case.

Yes, at one point they did tag the outside of the luggage it was in.
I once flew into Newark NJ with a handgun back in 2000 and wasn't expecting to see the bag ever again.
The wrong people in baggage must have had the day off, huh?
The real amazing thing is, that same bag also went thru Midway/Chicago and Atlanta on the same trip and still made it.

I suppose I was meant to keep that gun, huh?

 

[txinvestigator]

I think we may be talking different languages. It appears to me the OP had a gun case inside his luggage. The Firearm tag was placed inside his luggage, but outside the gun case.

The Firearm tag should always be inside the luggage. That being the part you actually carry. Beyond that it makes no difference I can imagine if it goes inside of or outside of the gun case. The gun case is inside the luggage.

 

[okie556]

I just got back from a 2 week vacation in the Florida Keys, and since Florida is a full reciprocity state, I decided to bring a carry gun on the trip. I am a very infrequent flyer, so I had never tried this before.

In San Antonio airport I went up to the counter (American Airlines) and declared that I had a firearm in my baggage. She had me fill out a form declaring that the firearm was unloaded and put it in the luggage on top of the pistol case. Then the agent had one of the "floaters" take me to a room off to the side where a TSA agent had me open the suitcase. He started an app on a desktop computer and had a wand attached to it. He sniffed all inside my luggage with the wand, closed it up and put it on the conveyor belt for checking. Pretty easy.

In Ft. Myers. FL for the return trip, I declared the firearm, he had me fill out the "unloaded" form, unlock the pistol case and place it inside the case. Than he took the luggage and placed it on the conveyor belt. That was it.

I'm curious as to the "unloaded" form being placed in the case in one instance, and outside the case in another. Same airline, should be the same rules I would think. And the whole TSA thing? Again, no consistency.

Luckily, no issues at either airport, and no one even asked about ammunition. Has anyone had similar experiences?

So what about the ammo? Curious on how that was carried or did you have to buy some when you arrived at final destination?

 

[benenglish]

I think we may be talking different languages. It appears to me the OP had a gun case inside his luggage. The Firearm tag was placed inside his luggage, but outside the gun case.

That makes sense. My reading comprehension is substandard...but that's normal for me.

 

[erratadata]

There was no card placed on the outside of the suitcase either flight. The difference was that I was told to place it inside the GUN case at one airport, and outside the GUN case at another.

I brought 25 rounds of ammo (3 mags and 1 for the pipe) in a hard plastic Plano case.

 

[jordanmills]

It's supposed to go inside the gun case. I know it looks like something designed to go outside (which, I think, it originally was) but it's still, as Renegade pointed out, supposed to go inside the case.

You sure? When I did it last (a couple of years ago), there was a card that I filled out that they witnessed me put in the case and secure with a regular padlock, and another tag they put on the handle that I didn't fill out at all.

 

[benenglish]

You sure? When I did it last (a couple of years ago), there was a card that I filled out that they witnessed me put in the case and secure with a regular padlock, and another tag they put on the handle that I didn't fill out at all.

A tag that we don't fill out goes on every handle of every checked bag. Did the tag you're referencing have some obvious markings indicating a firearm was the contents?

 

[txinvestigator]

You sure? When I did it last (a couple of years ago), there was a card that I filled out that they witnessed me put in the case and secure with a regular padlock, and another tag they put on the handle that I didn't fill out at all.

The tag on the handle goes on every piece of luggage that is checked. Tells baggage handlers where to put your bag.

 

[erratadata]

You sure? When I did it last (a couple of years ago), there was a card that I filled out that they witnessed me put in the case and secure with a regular padlock, and another tag they put on the handle that I didn't fill out at all.

I just verified, the tag on the outside of the luggage had no apparent markings that there was a firearm inside. I looked at the tag on my wife's luggage and compared them. Unless it's coded in the barcodes, there is no visual indication of any difference. It's just the standard tag with departure location and destination with flight numbers. The claim check for the bags had no indication either.

 

[jordanmills]

A tag that we don't fill out goes on every handle of every checked bag. Did the tag you're referencing have some obvious markings indicating a firearm was the contents?

Yes, and it was in addition to the common routing tag.

The tag on the handle goes on every piece of luggage that is checked. Tells baggage handlers where to put your bag.

Not that tag.

Looks like I still have them on my rifle case. The procedure was the same on both outbound, HOU to OKC, and return, OKC to HOU. I go to the counter, ask to check a firearm case, fill out the card, put the card in the case, lock the case and keep the key, and the agent affixes the standard routing tag and the red-barred-border tag as pictured. There is no information on the tag except for the red barred border, either side.

I've seen tons of bags checked, and as far as I've seen all cases with checked firearms get them and nothing else does. Not even when I checked a case of bottles that some blue-shirted high school dropout would be likely to mistake for a bomb.

 

[benenglish]

<really interesting picture snipped>

It's obviously been far too long since I flew with guns because that's new to me. It sure does violate the intent of the previous rules (per Renegade's post, up-thread) that firearms should not be tagged as such.

 

[Bozz10mm]

So what about the ammo? Curious on how that was carried or did you have to buy some when you arrived at final destination?

Ammo doesn't have to be tagged, but it must be in the type of box with the individual slots for each round. No loose ammo or loaded magazines allowed. It's limited by weight, not by quantity. I think it's 11 pounds.

 

[Alex23]

Practice varies from airport to airport in my experience. If you want to have a laugh ask them if they want to touch the firearm. They generally look like you asked them if you would like to be fellated by a dog.

TSA and their procedures are inconsistent, pointless, and ridiculous. But you best not mock them or they will attempt to detain you and ask you insane questions so that you miss your flight.

Thank goodness they are unionized.

 

[erratadata]

Yes, and it was in addition to the common routing tag.

Not that tag.

Looks like I still have them on my rifle case. The procedure was the same on both outbound, HOU to OKC, and return, OKC to HOU. I go to the counter, ask to check a firearm case, fill out the card, put the card in the case, lock the case and keep the key, and the agent affixes the standard routing tag and the red-barred-border tag as pictured. There is no information on the tag except for the red barred border, either side.

I've seen tons of bags checked, and as far as I've seen all cases with checked firearms get them and nothing else does. Not even when I checked a case of bottles that some blue-shirted high school dropout would be likely to mistake for a bomb.

Maybe they do that on gun cases, but not on suitcases with a handgun in a locked case inside. Or, maybe it's a different airline rule?