Flying US Commercial airlines with guns and ammunition is not really a big deal, as long as you know and follow the procedures. I have to fly with guns several times each year and I never have problems. Our good friend and colleague Karim Mannassa recently wrote an excellent piece on a trip he undertook with multiple handguns and ammunition. This is full of solid advice.
https://909cdb8a-ae70-4094-9bf8-6213...7e5b4949e3.pdf
Things might have changed, and I'm sure they vary, but the write-up doesn't appear to include the TSA interaction when checking guns in luggage. I haven't flown in a good while, what with Covid and all, but every time I have flown with a handgun or long gun, after I declared it at the airline check-in, I was either escorted to, or given directions to go to, the TSA location (outside of the passenger screening stations) so that TSA could look at and accept the luggage with the gun inside. Sometimes, with nothing more than asking for confirmation that the gun was unloaded, TSA put the bag on a conveyor and the gun case ended up on the correct plane. At the other extreme, TSA has asked for the key, opened the hard case (a handgun, locked in a hard case inside a larger soft bag), inspected the gun, replaced it, relocked the case, and then handed me back the key. They've also (once) pulled a bunch of clothes out of the bag, swabbed the contents (and found nothing of course), and then, neatly, replaced everything. So far, all my experiences with TSA and gun cases have been positive.
I’ve flown with checked firearms out of several different airports and never had to interact with TSA. The airline agent at the check in counter was the only person I declared anything to. Sometimes they wanted to examine the gun but they usually took my word for it that the gun was unloaded. I’ve never been escorted anywhere to speak to anyone from TSA. I think that’s something that isn’t part of the overall system. It’s probably the policy at the airport you flew out of or the airline you flew with but it’s definitely not just part of the process.
My posts only represent my personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of any employer, past or present. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.
That is true. I've encountered both, going somewhere to have TSA people examine it in my presence and just dropping it off, depending on the airport. In latter cases often times the agent asked to hang around for a few minutes. I've not had gate agent asking to show if the gun was unloaded for years now.Originally Posted by WobblyPossum
Not mentioned in the article but as of few years some airlines started to tag luggage with guns with specific tags. American uses a red flag tag "Return to Baggage Office". Delta uses CAGPT tag. Basically that telegraphs to anyone who knows that there's a gun inside. Plan your travel accordingly.
Doesn't read posts longer than two paragraphs.
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