taking gun on plane

[rhadiesel]

im going to north dakota for work i will stay out there for 3 months at a time but be staying in a hotel room i want to know if there is a way to bring a gun with me to shoot out there on the weekends?? any help

[cineski]

Yes, you can bring a gun in your checked luggage. Has to have a hard, locking case. You must declare the gun at check-in at the ticket counter. Say something like "I need to declare an unloaded firearm." You will have to open the gun case and show them the gun is unloaded. The best way to do this is to lock the slide back and thread a lock through the gun and place this inside the case. This way you don't have to actually touch the gun. After showing the ticket agent, you lock it back up and away it goes. For your luggage lock, you have to use TSA locks. For the gun case, use a combo or keyed lock.

[rhadiesel]

ok and what about ammo what do i do with that
also is it a bad idea to keep going back and forth with my gun like that or is it really not a big deal

[GearHead]

Yes, you can bring a gun in your checked luggage. Has to have a hard, locking case. You must declare the gun at check-in at the ticket counter. Say something like "I need to declare an unloaded firearm." You will have to open the gun case and show them the gun is unloaded. The best way to do this is to lock the slide back and thread a lock through the gun and place this inside the case. This way you don't have to actually touch the gun. After showing the ticket agent, you lock it back up and away it goes. For your luggage lock, you have to use TSA locks. For the gun case, use a combo or keyed lock.

Make SURE that the actual lock on your gun case is NOT TSA approved. YOU are the only one legally allowed to posses the key. But yes, if you put the hard case in your suitcase, make sure the suitcase lock is TSA approved.

[sirgiles]

most airlines will have a limit (in pounds) when it comes to ammo. call your carrier.
its no big deal travelling back and forth with a firearm.

[GearHead]

ok and what about ammo what do i do with that
also is it a bad idea to keep going back and forth with my gun like that or is it really not a big deal

Ammo is dependent on the airline. Can't have more than 11 pounds per person and it needs to be in containers designed to hold it in such a way that the primers are safe (i.e. the individual boxes commercial ammo comes in). Some places will allow you to have it loaded in magazines ONLY IF there are covers on them (i.e. PMAGS with dust covers). Personally, ammo is a huge pain the a** to transport via plane. I would say you should either overnight it or buy some in NoDak.

Travelling with a gun is a no-brainer, I did it 4 times last year. Just give yourself an extra hour before your flight in case something takes a long time.

[cineski]

This is correct.

Make SURE that the actual lock on your gun case is NOT TSA approved. YOU are the only one legally allowed to posses the key. But yes, if you put the hard case in your suitcase, make sure the suitcase lock is TSA approved.

[bak]

Take a print out of the TSA rules and the Air carrier rules with you when you show up at the counter. As there sometimes some confusion with people behind counter.

[paul0660]

really not a big deal

You are going to get good at it.

[BigBronco]

It also may depend on where the airport is. I flew out of Dallas no big deal. Simply checked it as luggage. However I was nearly treated like a terrorist flying out of San Francisco. Taken to a back room Interviewed. ETC. And this was many Moons before 911.

[lorax3]

I recommend this video to anyone who is going to be flying with firearms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGjddG5Owsc

[Gryff]

i want to know if there is a way to bring a gun with me to shoot out there on the weekends?? any help

Gun needs to be in a locked container. That container can be stored inside your checked suitcase, or it can be a case that you check on its own.

Ammo cannot be in the same locked container as the gun. It can be in the same suitcase, as long as gun is locked in its own box.

Strongly encourage you to buy a pistol case or container that cannot be pried open easily (i.e. Doskosport cases). The last thing you want is some baggage handler tearing open the container and getting your gun. I personally like the Guardforce containers because they have padlock receptacles to provide more security than a built-in lock.

There can be no markings on the outside of your luggage that hints that weapons inside (and you really don't want to advertise that fact, right?).

Do not use TSA locks. TSA has no legal right to open your weapon case without you present.

Most airlines restrict ammo to no more than 11lbs., but some limit the actual quantity. Ammo needs to be in boxes that isolate the rounds from each other (i.e. a traditional factory ammo box...not the WWB bulk pack). TSA has told me that the plastic cases that reloaders use are acceptable, but you'll want to tape them closed.

You must declare your gun to the airline ticketing counter (no curbside check-in). I know that United gets irritated if you use the self check-in kiosks rather than standing in line at the full-service counter.

When you declare the weapon, the ticketing agent should ask you to open the case and prove the weapon is unloaded. If they don't check the weapon themselves, I ask before I demonstrate it for them. Many agents are nervous around weapons, and you don't want to unexpectedly pick up the gun and start manipulate it. It might make nearby liberals wet themselves.

Afterwards, an airline employee will take the bag to TSA to run through their machine. You might have them tell you that they need to take it in a backroom for TSA to inspect it (or to leave the locks unclosed). What you do at that point is up to you, but I will not let my unlocked weapon case out of my sight EVER. It is my understanding that it is technically illegal for them to inspect my weapon without me present, and I stated this the one time they tried it with me. They relented and allowed me to go with the gun case.

They may say that will have to cut the locks off if they need to re-inspect the weapon later on. Again, this is not correct. They HAVE to find you and bring you to the inspection before they can open the box, but that might mean that they pull you off the plane (and you'll miss your flight), or they may not put your bag on the plane. To me, this is worth the risk, since I am not giving any stranger free access to my gun without me being present.

Allow yourself an extra hour for the check-in procedure. Usually you don't need that much, but TSA isn't always a high-speed, low-drag kind of operation.

[FNH5-7]

It also may depend on where the airport is. I flew out of Dallas no big deal. Simply checked it as luggage. However I was nearly treated like a terrorist flying out of San Francisco. Taken to a back room Interviewed. ETC. And this was many Moons before 911.

Opposite extremes lol.


This thread has very good information, bookmarked for reference.

[tpirman]

I have flown out of San Francisco many times with weapons recently, it's very easy. You just need to declare that you have a firearm as others have said and keep them in a locked case. I even traveled with my AR to Alaska, no big deal.

It is surreal walking through an airport with your gun(s) when it seems all I've even been taught is to not even say the word "gun" in an airport.

[Fjold]

Gun needs to be in a locked container. That container can be stored inside your checked suitcase, or it can be a case that you check on its own.

Ammo cannot be in the same locked container as the gun. It can be in the same suitcase, as long as gun is locked in its own box.

.

Ammunition may be checked in the same piece of luggage as a firearm. No additional documentation is required.
There is no limit to the number of items contained in rifle, shotgun or pistol case, up to 50 lbs/23 kg, 62 in/157 cm in maximum.
A passenger who presents a firearm to be checked to an international destination must be in possession of all required import documentation for their international destination city and any international transit points. It is the responsibility of the passenger to acquire the required documentation from the applicable government entity prior to travel (usually a consulate or embassy). Firearms will not be accepted for transport if international import requirements have not been met.