First time to check weapon IAH

[ELB]

Interesting. Only time I've ever flown with one, they just asked me. I said yes, and we went on with life. No opening the case, no working the slide, nothing.

Which airline? Seems this is more likely airline policy than TSA.

I don't think there is actually any federal requirement to prove it is empty, just that it must be empty. I think airlines sometimes tack on the 'prove it' part, but in my experience this is the exception.

I have flown a number of times with one or two handguns, and a rifle occaisonally, and the number of times I actually had to "show clear" was very small. Usually they just ask, have me sign form and put it someplace (location varies), and off we go. In most locations I walk the bag to TSA myself, and it is not right next to check in, an airline will usually go with me. Once an agent had to cart my bag (with me following) way the heck and beyond across the airport terminal, gave it to TSA who took it in a room I could not go into, they brought it back, and the agent had to cart it all they way back to the checkin counter to put it on the luggage belt. Took about 15 minutes round trip.

I've never had a TSA person try to fiddle with the gun, but I had to open (or give them the key to open) the box a couple times. I can remember one time when a TSA person actually looked at the gun (with me operating it) to see if it was empty . That was in Jackson Hole, WY.

[74novaman]

Interesting. Only time I've ever flown with one, they just asked me. I said yes, and we went on with life. No opening the case, no working the slide, nothing.

Which airline? Seems this is more likely airline policy than TSA.

Southwest Airlines.

I was waiting for a horrified look, or some kind of comment. Had the SW policies and TSA policies printed out and folded up in my pocket just in case I got the "you can't take a GUN on an airplane!".

They just smiled and took care of business.

[jimlongley]

Interesting. Only time I've ever flown with one, they just asked me. I said yes, and we went on with life. No opening the case, no working the slide, nothing.

Which airline? Seems this is more likely airline policy than TSA.

I don't think there is actually any federal requirement to prove it is empty, just that it must be empty. I think airlines sometimes tack on the 'prove it' part, but in my experience this is the exception.

Quite frequently the airlines do have varying procedures and "requirements" but TSA WILL stop a bag with a loaded gun in it, and the owner of the bag will have to do some fancy talking to avoid being gifted with a brand new set of silver bracelets.

I don't know the exact section of the law, but loaded is definitely verboten.

------

I have been asked to show clear, and asked to declare clear, and asked, also in Montana or some place up north like that, "Is it unloaded?" and all I had to do was say "Yup!"

[blackdog8200]

For the past few times I have checked a gun, TSA has swabbed the bag / box for residue and X-rayed it as well. Might just be a coincidence but maybe they want to make sure us 2nd amendment radical types are mixing any homemade bombs.

[RHenriksen]

Yup, every airport, every visit, can be a unique experience.

I've had a United ticket counter agent tell me I could *not* check my steel crate, secured w. a $35 disk lock, because the pistol had to be locked in a *small* box instead the *big* steel box. She thought that was the case because she'd always seen it done that way. I politely told her that if she brought her supervisor over, I was sure we could get the matter cleared up. She said that wouldn't make *any* difference, because the rule was from 'those guys' (the TSA guys standing by the X-Ray machine 20' away. I said, well, let's just walk 20' and go ask *them*! Those guys saw us coming, met me @ their perimeter, smiled @ the very distraught, anxious, middle aged United lady, and gently told her that my 20 pound steel army surplus crate was *very* adequate to secure the firearm, and that no extra 'box inside the box' would be required. They were all clearly ex-military, rather than the usual fast food employee-grade TSA employees. Clearly, being in Wyoming was working in my favor!

After I finished my check-in, and brought the steel box to TSA for x-raying, a couple of the TSA guys came up to me & asked if it was a mortar case. I smiled & said yup, 81mm! They grinned - somebody had won a bet, apparently. I told them I'd taken care to sand off the scary-looking original stencils (like 'explosive projectiles inside') before I put it into service as my luggage.

You just have to be prepared to stay loose & work your way through a huge range of competency & training deficiencies on the part of the TSA staff. Usually, the airline people are better than TSA, IMX.

[jimlongley]

rather than the usual fast food employee-grade TSA employees. . . .
You just have to be prepared to stay loose & work your way through a huge range of competency & training deficiencies on the part of the TSA staff. Usually, the airline people are better than TSA, IMX.

Clearly your experience is lacking, I resent your characterization, I was TSA from the start for three years and by far the majority of TSA employees were much more professional than what you imply. And the ones that took out and played with passengers' personal items were as often as not ex-military. As far as the range of competency and training deficiencies, those happen in any large organization and it was part of my job to see to it that our part of the organization didn't suffer from that range.

Management was the major factor in screwups, one manager would interpret the airline's 11 pound restriction on weight of ammunition allowed as being something TSA enforced, the next ignored that but wanted every bag with a gun opened to check to see if it was unloaded, also not TSA's job.

I can tell you many tales of stupid agents and idiotic acts, but considering the number of passengers and bags they see every day, those are by far the unusual not the norm.

I believe you owe the ex-engineers, like me, and the ex-programmers, and all of the others who are NOT the "usual fast food employee grade TSA employees" a large apology for your poor attitude, which quite likely contributes to your mistaken perception.

And the airlines are the ones who most often can't even figure out their own rules.

[RHenriksen]

Jim, my experience is what it is. I'm sorry you don't like it, but apparently I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with many people from within *your* part of the organization. How many tens or hundreds of thousands of people work for this new huge gov bureaucracy? Just because I've had the pleasure of dealing w. fools wearing blue shirts doesn't mean you have to take (the reality of) my experience so personally.

The guys manning in the x-ray machines in the Portland, ME & Jackson, WY airports have been great. But the overwhelming majority of the ones in Houston who take 20 minutes to shuffle their way to the inspection table, grunt at me, can't be bothered to make eye contact, make use of the English language, clearly have far less understanding of their own regulations than I do, etc, make USPS employees look like 5 star hotel concierges.

And as far as my attitude? I know all too well that I'm completely at the mercy of these people. So despite their simian performance, I take *great* pains to smile, be calm, patient, and relaxed. My wife, who is always somewhat uneasy about my capacity for fools, is there to witness me taking the high road. So, no - I dispute your defensive assertion that it must be my fault.

[stevie_d_64]

TSA aren't supposed to handle the firearm. It is the responsibility of the Airline.

NOBODY is supposed to handle the firearm, except maybe the owner to demonstrate to the ticket agent that it is clear.

Bingo!!!

You know whats funny...I'm waiting for the day that there is a mass bladder evacuation at the sound of "racking the slide" in an airport ticket line...Of course if some prefer a "wheel gun" then you might avoid that possibility...Maybe...

I haven't flown in years with a weapon, so what amazes me the most is the hodgepodge of rules and attitudes within the airports/employees of the airlines/TSA about this...

I have learned that if you take measures to make sure that it is visibly un-necessary to even touch the weapon in the case, on both sides of the trip (I carry a few extra zip ties in flourecent colors), and put the minimum ammo required for a normal load out in a separate professional looking reloaders case (slightly opaque, but clear enough to see the ammo is nice and tight in their cubbyholes) you eliminate 95% of the embarrassment of unwashed TSA or airline employees...What you have to do with the other 5%...Well, that is an exercise in conflict resolution and patience...But at no time will anyone touch that firearm in its packed but visible "safed" condition in its case...There is no need to do so, and I will state that to anyone who does make the attempt...And we have come close in years past...What happens after that, well...

This is why I look for ways to NOT fly anymore, even in this day of a more informed airline and TSA environment...

[terryg]

Yup, every airport, every visit, can be a unique experience.

I've had a United ticket counter agent tell me I could *not* check my steel crate, secured w. a $35 disk lock, because the pistol had to be locked in a *small* box instead the *big* steel box.

Ok, I'm just really curious. Any chance you would upload a pic of this crate. I'm lacking the visualization to make this click. But it sounds like a good time was had by all.

[RHenriksen]

Yup, every airport, every visit, can be a unique experience.

I've had a United ticket counter agent tell me I could *not* check my steel crate, secured w. a $35 disk lock, because the pistol had to be locked in a *small* box instead the *big* steel box.

Ok, I'm just really curious. Any chance you would upload a pic of this crate. I'm lacking the visualization to make this click. But it sounds like a good time was had by all.

Whoops, typo - should be, 'the pistol had to be locked in a small box, inside the big box'

Here's my designer luggage. 81mm mortar case, available for $20 at Coleman's online:

[jimlongley]

Jim, my experience is what it is. I'm sorry you don't like it, but apparently I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with many people from within *your* part of the organization. How many tens or hundreds of thousands of people work for this new huge gov bureaucracy? Just because I've had the pleasure of dealing w. fools wearing blue shirts doesn't mean you have to take (the reality of) my experience so personally.

The guys manning in the x-ray machines in the Portland, ME & Jackson, WY airports have been great. But the overwhelming majority of the ones in Houston who take 20 minutes to shuffle their way to the inspection table, grunt at me, can't be bothered to make eye contact, make use of the English language, clearly have far less understanding of their own regulations than I do, etc, make USPS employees look like 5 star hotel concierges.

And as far as my attitude? I know all too well that I'm completely at the mercy of these people. So despite their simian performance, I take *great* pains to smile, be calm, patient, and relaxed. My wife, who is always somewhat uneasy about my capacity for fools, is there to witness me taking the high road. So, no - I dispute your defensive assertion that it must be my fault.

The way I see it, you present attitude and you get attitude back, just like here. You still owe them, and me, an apology.

[terryg]

Here's my designer luggage. 81mm mortar case, available for $20 at Coleman's online:

Nice. I like the Gucci label.

[CompVest]

Jim, my experience is what it is. I'm sorry you don't like it, but apparently I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with many people from within *your* part of the organization. How many tens or hundreds of thousands of people work for this new huge gov bureaucracy? Just because I've had the pleasure of dealing w. fools wearing blue shirts doesn't mean you have to take (the reality of) my experience so personally.

The guys manning in the x-ray machines in the Portland, ME & Jackson, WY airports have been great. But the overwhelming majority of the ones in Houston who take 20 minutes to shuffle their way to the inspection table, grunt at me, can't be bothered to make eye contact, make use of the English language, clearly have far less understanding of their own regulations than I do, etc, make USPS employees look like 5 star hotel concierges.

And as far as my attitude? I know all too well that I'm completely at the mercy of these people. So despite their simian performance, I take *great* pains to smile, be calm,
patient, and relaxed. My wife, who is always somewhat uneasy about my capacity for fools, is there to witness me taking the high road. So, no - I dispute your defensive assertion that it must be my fault.

The way I see it, you present attitude and you get attitude back, just like here. You still owe them, and me, an apology.

Enough both of you. Please, let it die here.

[philip964]

So what are the rules?

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... _1666.shtm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also check with your carrier...they can have other proceedures. Concider as well where your flight might get diverted to in an emergency or weather related issue. (Do not take possesion of your bag with a checked handgun in New Jersy for instance....make them keep it until you get to fly out. Search this forum for the sto ries)

Thanks for the link. Photos hard to see what they are showing. All sounds pretty scary especially the part about leaving it behind if they can't open it.

[RHenriksen]

Here's my designer luggage. 81mm mortar case, available for $20 at Coleman's online:

Nice. I like the Gucci label.

Thanks! It's fun, but also serves a useful purpose. That big, clanking, milspec box causes a lot of people's eyes to get big when walking into an airport terminal. The Gucci label helps relax them, I think. My wife gets credit for the idea