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Hello All, I was concerned about my trip, so I read as much as I could on this site and others so that i could be an informed traveler. The following was my experience, hope it helps someone.
I used a pelican case, its a 2 gun case, but I managed to get three 6" revolvers into it plus a scope. I put the pelican case with 2 locks on it into my suitcase. I "locked" the suitcase with a TSA type lock. I packed some clothes around the pelican case.
1.5 hrs before my flight, I went up to the counter and declared 3 unloaded guns in a locked case. Girl behind the counter had no idea what to do, she asked for help and made at least three phone calls before directing me to an unoccupied counter area. She said someone from the TSA would be there in about 5 minutes.
TSA Dude shows up, says not to touch my luggage, gun case or to reach across the counter. I give him the keys to the TSA lock and the 2 locks on the case.
He has a special computer thing behind a locked area. He swabbed the outside of the case, and put the swab in the computer... dunno what that was about.
He then told me he was going to open the case and verify the guns were unloaded. He did a quick check without touching the weapons and "verified" they were unloaded. I signed a form that the weapons were unloaded and he put that inside the pelican and locked it back up. THen on the outside of the pelican he put a "checked by TSA" tag, then put the pelican back into the suitcase and repacked my clothes around it.
TSA guy was quick and professional, we barely spoke 10 words.
THe only thing out of the ordinary was a quarter sized orange sticker on the bag claim ticket on the exterior of my suitcase that said "TSA SECURITY CLEARED SFO. If you werent looking for it, you would not notice it.
It was a red-eye nonstop flight, picked up my suitcase in Wash DC, all locks intact. No issues.
THis will be my final post here as I am now a mid-atlantic dweller... I have not posted much here, but have read and lurked and learned much. Thanks Calguns!!!
I used a pelican case, its a 2 gun case, but I managed to get three 6" revolvers into it plus a scope. I put the pelican case with 2 locks on it into my suitcase. I "locked" the suitcase with a TSA type lock. I packed some clothes around the pelican case.
1.5 hrs before my flight, I went up to the counter and declared 3 unloaded guns in a locked case. Girl behind the counter had no idea what to do, she asked for help and made at least three phone calls before directing me to an unoccupied counter area. She said someone from the TSA would be there in about 5 minutes.
TSA Dude shows up, says not to touch my luggage, gun case or to reach across the counter. I give him the keys to the TSA lock and the 2 locks on the case.
He has a special computer thing behind a locked area. He swabbed the outside of the case, and put the swab in the computer... dunno what that was about.
He then told me he was going to open the case and verify the guns were unloaded. He did a quick check without touching the weapons and "verified" they were unloaded. I signed a form that the weapons were unloaded and he put that inside the pelican and locked it back up. THen on the outside of the pelican he put a "checked by TSA" tag, then put the pelican back into the suitcase and repacked my clothes around it.
TSA guy was quick and professional, we barely spoke 10 words.
THe only thing out of the ordinary was a quarter sized orange sticker on the bag claim ticket on the exterior of my suitcase that said "TSA SECURITY CLEARED SFO. If you werent looking for it, you would not notice it.
It was a red-eye nonstop flight, picked up my suitcase in Wash DC, all locks intact. No issues.
THis will be my final post here as I am now a mid-atlantic dweller... I have not posted much here, but have read and lurked and learned much. Thanks Calguns!!!
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