Successfully traveled with pistols

[HooVooLoo]

I just use the transporter. Everytime the guns go through, they come out with not one speck of powder residue on them. I tried sending my cat through once, but the results were less than "fuzzy".

 

[jar]

connecting isn't the problem. Arrivals and departures are the issue.

The problem is, sometimes a connection turns in to an arrival and a departure. I haven't heard of it happening in Chicago, but people have gotten jammed up in NY a number of times.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Then I secure the locked gun case to the inside of my suitcase using a cable lock.

I use a hard case in site my suitcase, but I have a 1/2" hole drilled in the hard case. When I flew form Las Vegas on Saturday I had the metal cable running through the mag wells of the 1911's, out the ejection port, though the hole in the small hard case and padlocked to a permanent connection in the suitcase. Someone trying to remove those guns would have some effort - they even remain attached to the suitcase while TSA is inspecting them.

 

[b79holmes]

The problem is, sometimes a connection turns in to an arrival and a departure. I haven't heard of it happening in Chicago, but people have gotten jammed up in NY a number of times.

B.I.N.G.O.

You can be flying from TX to ME or Canada to hunt and a flight change can also put you in NY or NJ. I read somewhere that if you have to re-check the gun bag its better to leave it on the luggage carousel, get to your final destination and then start screaming about a lost firearm.

Bill

 

[drgrant]

connecting isn't the problem. Arrivals and departures are the issue.

It is a problem if you get stuck in NY or NJ with "Broken plane please take your luggage and come back tomorrow" kind of problem. At this point, it is better to collect your luggage, rent a car, and get the hell out of there. FWIW at least one of the prominent cases of abuse involved a similar scenario..... the traveler was going from like UT to PA or something, and his flight got diverted into one of the commie airports. When he tried to get back on the next day they threw him in jail.

Another option someone mentioned was to somehow get the airline to keep your luggage, EG, keeping it under common carrier status so the airport thugs can't touch you. I don't think I would trust them that much though.

-Mike

 

[holyroler]

one time customs said they lost a gun of mine...we found it...on the floor of baggage claim after having fallen off the conveyer belt. yikes. me and customs had a long talk.

another time i couldn't get back into the US because the custom official said i didn't have the right paperwork (lie). I eventually got in a talk about what pistols we both carried, and he said "youre a shooter, i'm a shooter, lets help eachother out....go through and don't tell anyone"

 

[jar]

I read a story on another forum about a guy flying out to a 3-gun match. His gun bag comes down the baggage carousel, he picks it up and nearly launches it in the air because it's empty. He starts to freak out, and then his AR comes bouncing down the conveyor. He stuffed it in the bag and got the hell out of there.

 

[KMaurer]

If you end up getting an unexpected connection in NY/NJ where they want you to take your luggage and re-check it, the solution is to simply refuse to take possession. Explain that you can't legally take possession of it, and that it is the airline's legal responsibility to get it to your destination.

Ken

 

[drgrant]

I read a story on another forum about a guy flying out to a 3-gun match. His gun bag comes down the baggage carousel, he picks it up and nearly launches it in the air because it's empty. He starts to freak out, and then his AR comes bouncing down the conveyor. He stuffed it in the bag and got the hell out of there.

Holy s**t. That must've been both hairy, and funny as hell at the same time, depending on where he was arriving at.

-Mike

 

[jar]

I tried to find the post but my google-fu wasn't strong enough. I think it was a relatively anti- big city airport, but not as bad as JFK/LGA/BOS/ORD.

 

[scottb]

Slight thread drift:

Posted this before but a friend had his very expensive custom competition pistol disappear in Chicago. After being jerked around for 24 hours or so by the airline, he made a call - to the FBI. Go figure - the airline 'found' it and and he had it in his hands forthwidth.

 

[cekim]

Slight thread drift:

Posted this before but a friend had his very expensive custom competition pistol disappear in Chicago. After being jerked around for 24 hours or so by the airline, he made a call - to the FBI. Go figure - the airline 'found' it and and he had it in his hands forthwidth.

This is by far my biggest concern in this process... Everything else goes pretty smoothly, but there's no telling what happens to your toys once the throwers get them...

Haven't heard yet if things have gotten better or worse now that the TSA has their paws on the hiring process...

 

[cekim]

I tried to find the post but my google-fu wasn't strong enough. I think it was a relatively anti- big city airport, but not as bad as JFK/LGA/BOS/ORD.

Surprising as it may be - at this point, I would put BOS in as a 'free state' airport by behavior... They don't check LTCs/IDs/prostate. They don't call in SWAT. I've gotten more 'special treatment' in Orlando than I get in Logan. YMMV of course... You know never know if you are going to run into a Brady Buncher at the counter I suppose...

 

[KMaurer]

The only airports I've either heard of or experienced any crap are Albany, NY and the NYC area airports policed by the NY/NJ Port Authority Police. I've avoided those, but flown into or out of Logan, TF Green, O'Hare, and Los Angeles all without the slightest incident. I've never been asked for a permit or license in any of them or had any sort of special treatment. Relatively free state locations like Manchester, Orlando, Miami, Dallas and Phoenix aren't even worth mentioning.

Ken

 

[BigMike]

If you end up getting an unexpected connection in NY/NJ where they want you to take your luggage and re-check it, the solution is to simply refuse to take possession. Explain that you can't legally take possession of it, and that it is the airline's legal responsibility to get it to your destination.

Ken

I'm not doubting that works....but whoa....you just blew my mind my man! I don't mind stinking it up overnight if it keeps me outta the clink in NYC/Newark.

 

[jar]

Surprising as it may be - at this point, I would put BOS in as a 'free state' airport by behavior... They don't check LTCs/IDs/prostate. They don't call in SWAT. I've gotten more 'special treatment' in Orlando than I get in Logan. YMMV of course... You know never know if you are going to run into a Brady Buncher at the counter I suppose...

as far as the airport staff and normal procedures I agree. The general reaction to an uncased ar in baggage claim though...

 

[cekim]

as far as the airport staff and normal procedures I agree. The general reaction to an uncased ar in baggage claim though...

Yeah well, flash an AR in Orlando and I suspect a sea of Tackleberry's will descend on you... They've been 'ready' for someone to make their day at that airport for quite some time...

At logan, I would expect the sheep to just bleat loudly and provided you kept moving, they would just walk in circles nervously...

 

[GSG]

I think this is what people are talking about with NY.

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/5276-FOPA-Doesn-t-Apply-in-NY-NJ!

And of course a non-resident permit in NY is 'undefined'.

Huh?

This is by far my biggest concern in this process... Everything else goes pretty smoothly, but there's no telling what happens to your toys once the throwers get them...

Haven't heard yet if things have gotten better or worse now that the TSA has their paws on the hiring process...

http://www.examiner.com/travel-news-in-san-francisco/sfo-baggage-handlers-convicted-of-theft

 

[Jbarila]

Just Back from the LA Gator Classic USPSA Level II Match in Lousianna.
Absolutly no problem at either airport Logan was very easy, the airline was JetBlue.
On thing I did was after the pistol box was locked I cable locked it around the rib inside the suit case. I figured if anyone wanted the gun then they would have to take the whole suit case. Not easy to do in a hurry.