Flying with empty magazines

[PseudoTsuga]

As long as they are empty, Southwest and United were not a problem, but my last flight on AA, they were questioning everything (didn't know their own rules and the regulations). The magazines were not an issue; just the handgun and the ammo in a plastic ammo container (they were under the misguided thought that it MUST be in the manufacturer's container).

As a fellow Calgun member, please don't break the law and import 10+ round mags to CA . . . not worth the court battle and eventual loss of your rights over a few $20 magazines if you are caught (and certainly don't post about it on a public forum).

Please! When you travel with firearms, the morning of your travel(to ensure most up to date revision) print out a physical copy of both the TSA firearm travel regs AND the particular airline you're using's regs.
Have them in hand while checking in. This is immensely helpful when you have the rare employee who isn't sure how to proceed.
I've always done this, and only needed it once and was very glad I had it in hand.

[BigPimping]

Just mail them to yourself.

[k1dude]

Please! When you travel with firearms, the morning of your travel(to ensure most up to date revision) print out a physical copy of both the TSA firearm travel regs AND the particular airline you're using's regs.
Have them in hand while checking in. This is immensely helpful when you have the rare employee who isn't sure how to proceed.
I've always done this, and only needed it once and was very glad I had it in hand.

Not always. On a couple different occasions where they were giving me problems, I produced printed copies of their policies. It made them mad and they refused to even look at them. They said my printed copies were meaningless to them and they proceeded to make up requirements as they popped into their heads.

I no longer bother to carry the printed policies because of those 2 instances. I found I was wasting my time and it made them even more angry than they already were.

My tact now is simple compliance with whatever they say. Yes ma'am is the ticket.

Do you have a federal permit for that thing signed personally by President Obama and Valerie Jarrett? Yes ma'am. Has the barrel been removed and painted red? Yes ma'am. When you take that thing over to the TSA inspection table, hop over there only on your left leg. Yes ma'am.

[Endless]

When I returned from Afghanistan I had roughly two dozen or so rifle mags and about the same number of M9 mags in my rolling duffle along with my body armor, helmet and all sorts of gun parts with no problem.

When I came back from being stationed in Alaska for a couple years in 1999 I had my AR15 locked in its hardcase and I carried 30+ 30 round Colt magazines and a 9 inch buck knife in my overhead carry on. I made it all the way to LAX with no issues. I made it through Anchorage AK and Seattle WA just fine. As soon as I got to LAX I was pulled to the side by Airport Police and they had me unzip my bag and out poured dozens and dozens of 30 round magazines and a large buck knife. A couple SAs showed up and I told them I am on orders and military and I am trained to use such items and they are legal in the states I have been through. LAX officials and LAPD didn't care. They told me I could keep everything but could not board the plane to San Diego International so I rented a car and drove home. I lost out on the money for the flight but I didn't care at the time.

I can't imagine doing this in 2016 way after nine eleven.

[rero360]

When I came back from being stationed in Alaska for a couple years in 1999 I had my AR15 locked in its hardcase and I carried 30+ 30 round Colt magazines and a 9 inch buck knife in my overhead carry on. I made it all the way to LAX with no issues. I made it through Anchorage AK and Seattle WA just fine. As soon as I got to LAX I was pulled to the side by Airport Police and they had me unzip my bag and out poured dozens and dozens of 30 round magazines and a large buck knife. A couple SAs showed up and I told them I am on orders and military and I am trained to use such items and they are legal in the states I have been through. LAX officials and LAPD didn't care. They told me I could keep everything but could not board the plane to San Diego International so I rented a car and drove home. I lost out on the money for the flight but I didn't care at the time.

I can't imagine doing this in 2016 way after nine eleven.

This was 2013, flew into Atlanta, then to Mississippi and finally LAX, had three optics, various electronics, and two sets of electronic ear muffs in my carry on luggage with no problems, I know think I even bothered to remove the batteries from the T1 and the USO beforehand.

The only time I had problems flying with Army/ gun stuff was flying back from Camp Robinson, Arkansas, but it wasn't the gun stuff or the body armor that caused the issue, it was the jar of peanut butter and the jar of nutella in the bag that looked like HE on the scanner apparently.

[AgentOne]

I just flew earlier this month from LAX to Dallas Lovefield with my AR and .45. Both were in a locked hard case along with 3 empty AR 10/30 mags and 2 empty .45 mags. Flew Virgin. Leaving out of LAX, the lady seemed frazzled when i told her i was checking in multiple guns and she didn't know their own rules and such. But she was nice about and got her supervisor to assist, who was very helpful and expedited the process...

Coming home, Dallas love field employee treated it like any other checked bag, minus the obvious unloaded declaration tag i had to sign. But i assume that was the case due to experience with people handling guns in CA to guns on TX.

[Divehobo]

Checked luggage, unlocked and not in special case. Never had a problem

[AceGirlsHusband]

If you want to see some disappointment, leave a Playboy on the seat with all the interior removed. Just a cover and back.

[huntercf]

Does anyone have any insight on traveling/flying with new, empty magazines in checked luggage? Does the locked hard case rule apply? Would it matter if they were disassembled or not?

Thanks!

Mine go in the same case as the firearm. If I am going out of state and have some regular mag parts I take them disassembled.

Sometimes I leave them at home and just buy new ones in a free state and leave them with relatives.

[JSpin]

just to update those who read this thread, i ended up disassembling the magazines and left them in my checked luggage. no issues whatsoever.

thanks for the information everyone.