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发帖数: 11154 | 1 http://www.handgunsmag.com/2012/03/26/five-lessons-on-flying-wi
1.
While the TSA does not limit the number of firearms you can have in your
checked baggage http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm, I know of at least one airline that does. Every airline has a website, with their specific rules on transportation of firearms and ammunition--check it. Basically, the firearm must be unloaded and in a locked case and declared during the ticket counter check-in process. I recommend acting professional, polite (as if you've checked guns dozens of times before), and like it's no big deal, because it shouldn't be. A smile will get you checked in quicker and with less problems than an attitude.
2.
Simply having a padlock on your case isn't good enough for the TSA. They
want to make sure that the lock prevents access to the gun inside, and I
have had agents undo the latches on my gun case and attempt to pry it open
wide enough to pull the gun out. This is surprisingly easy with some rifle
cases (I recommend a padlock at each end), and even some handgun cases. Don'
t be gentle when you test your cases, because the TSA agents won't be. I
know one gunwriter whose rifle cases were destroyed by TSA agents using
pipes as crowbars, and then told he couldn't fly with them because his rifle
cases would no longer securely lock. What this has to do with combating
terrorism I'm a little fuzzy on……
Although regulations don't require it, I always put my locked pistol case
inside a locked piece of luggage, and I've had TSA cut the padlock off the
luggage just to get a look at the pistol case. Why? I have no idea.
Currently, when I am just travelling with a pistol or two, I put them in a
Pelican 1495 case. In addition to the combo lock built into the case itself
I secure it with a combination padlock--to get to the guns inside someone
would need boltcutters AND a bandsaw. I check it as a separate piece of
luggage.
3.
Passengers are limited to 11 pounds of ammunition in their checked luggage,
and none at all in their carry-ons. That won't be a problem if you're
heading somewhere to hunt, but if you're flying to some sort of training
event or shooting competition, 11 pounds isn't much at all. Some venues will
let you mail your ammo to yourself.
The ammunition also has to be either in factory boxes or boxes specifically
designed to hold ammunition. This means no loose, bulk-packed ammo. Also,
many gate agents interpret this as "must be in factory boxes", so if you
have unmarked boxes for your handloads, you might have to educate the
counter agent (see #5).
I often am checking my carry gun, and my carry ammunition is Winchester
Ranger +P+ 9mm, which unfortunately is not offered for sale to civilians, so
the boxes are marked "For Law Enforcement Use Only". That is Winchester's
preference and the dictum has no legal bearing, but instead of trying to
explain this to the counter agent I usually just put the ammo in another box
(most recently Black Hills).
4.
Once the counter agent has had you fill out the orange "Unloaded Firearm"
form and put it in the case next to the gun, the TSA may want to examine the
case or run it through a scanner right then. Sometimes the counter agent
just has me lock the case up and they put it on the conveyor belt, with the
warning to stick around for a few minutes in case the TSA "needs to get in
the case". If they do, a TSA agent may approach you and ask for the keys to
the padlock so they can open the case, which may be at a nearby station or
somewhere not even in view. This is why I don't use key locks but only
combination locks, so that I have to open the case, which means I will be
present anytime the case is open. Don't ever let anyone open your gun case
when you're not present--which means NEVER use "TSA-approved" luggage locks
for your gun cases, because they have master keys for those http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm. I won't use them on any of my luggage, because I want to know when people are going through my stuff.
You could use key locks and simply refuse to let anyone else open the case
unless you're present. This happened to a friend of mine. The TSA agent
wouldn't bring the case to him as it was in a "secure area" he wasn't
cleared for, and my friend refused to turn over the keys because he didn't
want them opening his gun case when he wasn't present. The increasingly
angry TSA agent threatened to break into the case. My friend threatened to
call the ATF and report his guns stolen, which would have shut down the
whole airport (he wasn't bluffing). Who won the argument? Let's just say the
TSA (whose employees are not sworn law enforcement agents) is more afraid
of the ATF than the other way around.
If the TSA sees you're using combination padlocks, they know getting your
case open won't be as simple as asking for your keys.
5.
If you fly enough, you will run into an airline or TSA employee who either
is a jerk, idiot, or just hates guns (or some combination of the three). It'
s happened to me and just about everybody I know who flies with guns
frequently. Why you're checking a gun is none of their business (Why do you
own a gun? Are you a cop? Are you going to be doing some shooting? Why do
you need two guns? Why do you have all that ammunition?--I've heard all of
these questions at one time or another. You don't have to answer them.)
Go to the TSA website and print out their rules, and also print out the
rules from the website of whichever airline you're using. If the counter
agent who's checking you in starts claiming you're only allowed one box of
ammo or that the gun has wear a trigger lock, or something else you know to
be incorrect, you'll have their own rules printed out and ready. Doing this
has solved all sorts of problems for several people I know. | k**********i
发帖数: 8706 | |
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