NH resident flying out of Logan with guns

[cams]

Handling varies from airline to airline and airport to airport.......sad

MHT is really good.....but there are a LOT of airports that are terribad.......

You couldnt pay me enough to fly in/out of logan or anywhere in mass

Heck, I avoid having stopovers in a bunch of cities because they are hostile to RKBA and never ever ever take possession if you get stuck in NY or similar state.....the airline is a "common carrier" but the moment you take posession if you get stuck unexpectedly at one of these airports they can make your life hell

Ya that’s true, it changes even from one employee to another at the same counter sometimes.

I’ve flown Logan to many diff places, never once had an issue at Logan flying out or returning.

Worst place for me believe it or not has always been San Antonio Airport when leaving. They consistently take me directly from the counter to a back room where they open my suitcase and swab everything for explosives by a TSA mouth breather. Almost every time.

I posted about it a couple years ago after tracking down a couple airport cops and asking them to take me to the TSA office. I went off on them (TSA) a little about the harassment. Airport cops were laughing after I walked out and were like ya f*** them. No love between them.

Only once have I had anything stolen from my bag, some body armor, also flying out of Texas from a course I attended in NM.

 

[A3-HBAR]

I’ve done it without incident. I use a small pelican case and a pair of keyed alike locks. The only problem I’ve had was once, upon declaring, a nice, but extremely through ticketing agent in Richmond, Va. replaced my long shackle locks with short shackle locks (surprisingly for Free) because the long shackles allowed the case to be opened about an inch. He wanted the case to be absolutely un-openable. Despite that, every ticketing agent has been professional and courteous. I’ve Never been asked to see the gun, or to open the case for any form of inspection.
Know the laws…

 

[NH_Realtor]

I’ve flown out of Logan with a rifle, pistol and a can all in the same case. And standard cap mags.

The people at the airlines have no idea what they’re looking at.

Don’t start nothing won’t be nothing.

ETA- I did have a minor issue once cause I had ammo in the same case which was TSA compliant but not jet blue compliant. They sold me another shitty case that I put my ammo in that I then had to pay to check. Otherwise zero issues.

 

[cams]

I had a plainclothes airport cop call my cell one time inside San Antonio, 20 mins post security check. I thought it was a buddy of mine who was a SA Detective pranking me, so when the guy ID’d himself on the phone I laughed and told him to GFH. lol

Pure silence. He then calmly ID’d himself again and I was like wait what? Are you serious? Oh shit sorry bro. What’s up?

I was leaving TX and I always save one box of ammo just in case of stuff, but that box got wet and fell apart so I just put the ammo in a sock with an elastic and stuffed it in the suitcase. Hence my problem.

He said I’ll come meet you so you don’t have to go thru security again.
Ok cool.
He shows up with my suitcase and asks me to open it. I do. He asks about the unsecured ammo so I told him the above. Box was junk. Needed a container.

But he’s looking at all this gear in my suitcase, normal stuff to me (us) but I guess not to him. Lots of first aid stuff, big knife, chemlights, things of that nature as I was ending a driving trip from here to VA, then Arkansas and on to Dallas (dropped off a vehicle out there) so I brought stuff just in case on the road. I could see the questions on his face but said nothing.

He was cool about it and said just he’ll need to confiscate the ammo as it’s not in a right container. What was I gonna do? Ya sure man, keep it yourself f you want and shoot it don’t just throw it away I told him. Meh. Sometimes they get you sometimes they don’t. lol What’re gonna do.

 

[BigGreen2000]

Let's assume for a moment that OP decides to fly from Hartford, CT rather than Logan. Does that change the calculus here? I've heard possession of long guns (not AR's), ammo, and 10 round mags are legal in CT without license, license being needed only to purchase. But what about handguns in CT? Excluding FOPA for a moment, legal to possess without license? Paging DCM Don . . . . .

 

[ScottS]

wat? to florida? i just flew family direct there, for a $260 roundabout, jetblue to ft.myers - during APRIL BREAK, of all times.
perfectly fine to get tickets now, should be back in $90 or so range, if all is back to what it should be.

when they kick you out from a cancelled flight for the night - you will have to get your bags, in most scenarios. also need to get your bags if they kick you from jfk to laguardia. etc.
just fly direct, again.

Really? Do they chase you through the airport with them? "Sir! SIR!"

My plan in this unfortunate scenario is to not say shit to anyone and simply walk out of the airport to my hotel, not their budget shithole (in the case of a cancelled flight) and show up at my gate the next day. One of three things will happen:
1. The bags magically make it onto the flight the next day (best case, and most probable outcome)
2. The bags are found sometime after the flight departs, and they call me (using the contact info on my reservation) and I tell them what to do (ship home, send along, etc.)
3. The bag disappears to some parallel universe, never to be seen again. (Least likely these days with bag tags you can use to pull a car).

I am prepared to accept any of the three scenarios.

 

[ScottS]

Yup. NY loves to make lawful gun owners stay for an extra long "vacation" at tax payer expense.
They even arrested a guy for having a couple pieces of a standard magazine. Not a magazine. Just pieces of one.

Another point regarding NY. They have a messed up interpretation of the TSA regs. They arrested a woman who was in full compliance with TSA rules. She had the weapon and the ammo in separate locked containers. However, NY law defines the suitcase as a single container regardless how many separate locked boxes are within the one suitcase. She was arrested for having the firearm and ammo in the same container. NY writes their laws such that no reasonable person can ever be sure they are in compliance.

Do you have a case cite or even an article describing this? I might want to use it in my PPOTH class. Thanks.

 

[paul73]

Really? Do they chase you through the airport with them? "Sir! SIR!"

of course they do not chase you. they throw it on the carousel after you sit on your last standby and it is finally cancelled.
if you will not pick it up - it will go to into lost and found. in either way you have to check it back in, if you intend to pick it up for the stuff in the bag.

like he said - what he refers to seems to be something relatively recent i did not observe. last time i had a cancel like that was a 7 years ago or even more.

 

[crispnipz]

Good to know about LaGuardia.

Unfortunately all NY airports are untrustworthy, I also like to pick on LaGuardia because it's objectively terrible as an airport.

Logan does not have a policy of call the police to do a legality check when you declare a firearm (that is common practice in NYC and several upstate NY airports)

Yup. NY loves to make lawful gun owners stay for an extra long "vacation" at tax payer expense.
They even arrested a guy for having a couple pieces of a standard magazine. Not a magazine. Just pieces of one.

Yeah so funny story, I once took a flight with a layover through LaGuardia from Boston to my home airport of Cleveland Ohio. I decided to check my gun. Never did that before and at LaGuardia you have to exit security and re-enter to go to a different terminal, even for a layover. I wanted to make sure everything was all set with my gun so I asked an airline employee at the baggage counter and they said it was fine. Few minutes later as I was walking towards my gate, huge security guy ran after me asking "WHERE'S THE GUN?" Well of course I told him I didn't have a gun and went on my way. So basically if you must go through NY with a checked gun, you can, but NEVER take possession of it and do not have NY be your origin or destination.

I was with you up until the bolded part. The first thing they ask for is photo ID when you’re checking in. Next is filling out the name and address card that then gets taped to your firearm case(s) in case they get lost.

I can’t speak to any legalities around it, just be aware that they will see your address come up at least twice while at the check-in counter alone.

Right, I was attempting to articulate something like "don't mention residence or mention (not) having an LTC yadda yadda" just present your driver's license when asked and show them the firearm after you declare it, when asked.

 

[Mesatchornug]

Handling varies from airline to airline and airport to airport.......sad

^ This.

I usually fly Delta. They love to take your bag to their office and wrap it in a giant ziptie. They let me stow a pistol in a pocket of my lid organizer, and to have my ammo in magazines (not in the gun).

This weekend, I flew JetBlue. I picked the bag up off the conveyor at both BNA and BOS, no problems. They require ammo in fiber or plastic boxes, not magazines, and that a firearm be in a separate container.

Half the agents have asked to inspect the firearm/ammo, the others couldn't have cared less.

 

[fishgutzy]

Do you have a case cite or even an article describing this? I might want to use it in my PPOTH class. Thanks.

Somewhat related. When national reciprocity was being debated in congress, didn't then governor Cuomo threaten to issue a state wide shoot on sight order if cops see anyone from out of state with a gun?

 

[ScottS]

of course they do not chase you. they throw it on the carousel after you sit on your last standby and it is finally cancelled.
if you will not pick it up - it will go to into lost and found. in either way you have to check it back in, if you intend to pick it up for the stuff in the bag.

like he said - what he refers to seems to be something relatively recent i did not observe. last time i had a cancel like that was a 7 years ago or even more.

There's no such place as "baggage lost and found." Unclaimed baggage goes to the airline baggage office, where they scan the tag, figure out where the bag is supposed to be, and work on getting it there. ("Hmm...This is Paul73's bag. He was on the flight to Provincetown that was canceled. He's rebooked for today on Flight 6969.") The bag goes to Flight 6969. And no, you don't check it back in. You show up at the airport, go to your gate, and get on the flight. I thought I made that part clear. The bag ends up where the bag ends up.

 

[ScottS]

Somewhat related. When national reciprocity was being debated in congress, didn't then governor Cuomo threaten to issue a state wide shoot on sight order if cops see anyone from out of state with a gun?

I never blame the victim, but this lady was arrested--not for having the gun and ammo in the same bag--but for being idiot enough to think her home state gun license was more than toilet paper in NYC, and not doing any due diligence on traveling to another state with a firearm.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Nobody has said it yet, but while your firearm may be protected under fopa, your mags aren't.

10 rounds or less.

Is there any history of court decisions of quasi-official opinions on this?

 

[xtry51]

And cheaper then an arrest/bail

In fairness to the MA courts, you get ROR'd within a few hours for firearms found by TSA assuming it doesn't happen outside of normal court hours.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Or buy new at your destination and ship new home. And have the Mass mags just for transport and to the lgs

Hotels will accept packages for guests. This is normally free, except for a a few places (LV being the big one) where hotels run a shipment receiving department and actually weigh and measure packages and have their own "shipping fee" to transfer them to you.

 

[ScottS]

Is there any history of court decisions of quasi-official opinions on this?

The simple read of the language doesn't mention ammunition or magazines, just firearms, and in Feb 2020, Rep Mo Brooks (R-AL) introduced the Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act to expand the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA) “transport” definition to include “staying in temporary lodging, stopping for food, fuel, vehicle maintenance, an emergency, medical treatment, or any other activity incidental to the transport.” In addition, the bill clarified that the ability to transport a firearm also applies to ammunition and detachable magazines. The intent of this legislation was to expand the wording of the FOPA transport definition to cover mags and ammo.

GOA Backs Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act | GOA

February 21, 2020 For immediate release GOA Backs Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act Springfield, VA – Gun Owners of America (GOA) today is announcing support for the Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act, which is being introduced today in the House of Representatives...

www.gunowners.org

 

[KBCraig]

it isn't the guns that would cause me to avoid Logan, its the traffic and Boston in general

I have a standing rule for friends and family who want to come visit: I will pick them up at Manchester, Portland, or Burlington. If they fly into Logan, I will pick them up at the Concord Coach station in NH.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

The simple read of the language doesn't mention ammunition or magazines, just firearms, and in Feb 2020, Rep Mo Brooks (R-AL) introduced the Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act to expand the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA) “transport” definition to include “staying in temporary lodging, stopping for food, fuel, vehicle maintenance, an emergency, medical treatment, or any other activity incidental to the transport.” In addition, the bill clarified that the ability to transport a firearm also applies to ammunition and detachable magazines. The intent of this legislation was to expand the wording of the FOPA transport definition to cover mags and ammo.

GOA Backs Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act | GOA

February 21, 2020 For immediate release GOA Backs Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act Springfield, VA – Gun Owners of America (GOA) today is announcing support for the Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act, which is being introduced today in the House of Representatives...

www.gunowners.org

Correct, but that is not a finding that the ambiguity means they are not covered. A credible argument can be made that a magazine is part of a firearm, though it is by no means certain which way a court would come down on that until there is case law.

 

[fishgutzy]

I never blame the victim, but this lady was arrested--not for having the gun and ammo in the same bag--but for being idiot enough to think her home state gun license was more than toilet paper in NYC, and not doing any due diligence on traveling to another state with a firearm.

Toward the end is when they mention the added "loaded gun" charge for having the separate locked cases inside a suit case. The state said that made it a loaded gun under their law because the gun and ammo were in the same suitcase.

 

[ScottS]

Toward the end is when they mention the added "loaded gun" charge for having the separate locked cases inside a suit case. The state said that made it a loaded gun under their law because the gun and ammo were in the same suitcase.

I saw that, but she was already under arrest for simply having the gun. The loaded gun charge was an add-on. NY defines "loaded" differently than, say, NH does.

 

[MaverickNH]

Back when ARs were briefly legal in MA, I checked in at Logan and declared my Bushmaster AR15. I turned the case toward the woman checking me in, opened it and pointed at the open and empty chamber. She said I had to pick it up and “rack the slide” to show it was empty.That would have initiated panic, screaming and an unhappy ending, at best.

I waved down a nearby State Trooper and she repeated her request. He said to me - no, don’t do that - and told it it was empty and OK.

Expect airline staff to be clueless. Bring a copy of the airline’s firearms policy from their website with you. Smile and be nice.

 

[hpm]

I was with you up until the bolded part. The first thing they ask for is photo ID when you’re checking in. Next is filling out the name and address card that then gets taped to your firearm case(s) in case they get lost.

I can’t speak to any legalities around it, just be aware that they will see your address come up at least twice while at the check-in counter alone.

You can show your passport as photo ID, eliminating being easily identified as ‘out of state‘ and chances are, no one really reads the filled out address card.

Logan doesn’t care anyways - I have never been asked to show a Mass LTC.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

You can show your passport as photo ID, eliminating being easily identified as ‘out of state‘ and chances are, no one really reads the filled out address card.

Logan doesn’t care anyways - I have never been asked to show a Mass LTC.

The only time I was ever asked for a gun license was when flying to Canada, eh? The airline required I prove I could legally take the guns into that country, and had no interest in the MA LTC, just the Canadian paperwork.

 

[Mark from MA]

Is there any history of court decisions of quasi-official opinions on this?

Mags most of the time are considered part of the firearm, I would think FOPA applies to that. Who knows?

That said possession of a post 94 mag over ten rounds by anyone by law enforcement is a felony in MA.

If I was a free stater I'd fly out of a free state.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Mags most of the time are considered part of the firearm, I would think FOPA applies to that. Who knows?

That said possession of a post 94 mag over ten rounds by anyone by law enforcement or a MA licensed firearms dealer is a felony in MA.

If I was a free stater I'd fly out of a free state.

Who knows" is the only truly accurate answer.

FIFY in blue

 

[Admin]

Mags most of the time are considered part of the firearm, I would think FOPA applies to that. Who knows?

That said possession of a post 94 mag over ten rounds by anyone by law enforcement is a felony in MA.

If I was a free stater I'd fly out of a free state.

I normally do, however two weeks ago MHT to SAN was $2300 (3 tickets, shitty departure times, travel times, connecting flights), BOS to SAN $1200 (3 tickets, 9am departure, 12pm arrival, direct flight).

I haven't flown out of Logan in about 15 years, this year will be different simply because of cost and convenience. I'll continue to avoid MA but sometimes it is too good to pass up. Not to mention a friend offered to drive us in.

 

[PATRON]

Give a MA. NES member a few buck to go with you to the airport,and up to the check in.

 

[ScottS]

I normally do, however two weeks ago MHT to SAN was $2300 (3 tickets, shitty departure times, travel times, connecting flights), BOS to SAN $1200 (3 tickets, 9am departure, 12pm arrival, direct flight).

I haven't flown out of Logan in about 15 years, this year will be different simply because of cost and convenience. I'll continue to avoid MA but sometimes it is too good to pass up. Not to mention a friend offered to drive us in.

I can relate. I have Gold Parking Express at BOS. Guaranteed parking in the dedicated Gold parking areas in either Central or B parking. Costs me $100/year, and I still fly out of MHT unless it's absolutely unavoidable.

 

[TheArizonan]

When my dad passed I had to go help my sister out and get things taken care of. When it came to his guns, I called a shop to arrange the transfer and my favorite FFL back home to expect it.

Colt Python barely used from the 70's and one Inland M1A1 that was my uncles before passing. I knew about the carbine but not the Python as we both had thought that my father was anti gun.

Anyway my sister suggested I take a rental and drive them all back after staying with her in NJ for a week. You mean driving through the MA, CT, NY, and NJ gauntlets? Absolutely NOT, lol.

Goof luck friend, don't get pulled over so try to blend in with the other Ma**h***s on the round between there and Logan.