Flying Armed: 2013 Edition

The guns went into a Pelican Case. I was shopping the longer rifle cases but found a short squat Pelican 1600 case just sitting in the garage. With the buttstock folded and the slant muzzle device off the AK fit, just barely diagonally in the case. I got some foam from the Wally World to fill the gap in the case then cut it to fit the rifle. The little revolver went in next followed by 3 (empty) mags for the rifle, a box of .38 ammo for the revolver then 3 little boxes of 7.62×39 Wolf HP to load up 2 of the mags if need be. Last went in a pair of holsters, one pocket and a basic IWB holster for the revolver, all the speedloaders I could find (can order more for home later) and my Kershaw Blur. I locked it up with a pair of keyed alike padlocks.

It was a quiet regional airport. I got up to the counter and told the gal I needed to declare firearms. She got another employee who knew the procedure. I opened the case so he could look inside. He said “Is that an AK” to which I replied “Yes”. He asked me to show that the revolver was empty so I took it out of the foam insert, flipped the chamber open then tapped the ejector rod. When I went to do the same with the rifle he said it was fine. He then asked if the mags were loaded and I said they were not. The guy handed me the standard declaration form which I signed then tossed into the box. I closed the box then put the locks back on. From “I have a firearm to declare” to done it was maybe 2 minutes.

Travel with kids was well, travel with kids. They were really good but it’s still a hassle. Anyway on the other end we got the rest of our baggage then walked to the oversized luggage area and got the pelican case. We went on our way. Everything was fine. As a family we have flown with firearms three times. All went fine without any issues.

Broadly speaking issues I have heard of can be broken down into getting messed with checking in/ collecting the guns and them being lost/ stolen.

As to getting messed with checking them in. We have only flown from free state to free state with our guns that were legal on both ends and packed properly in legitimate hard locking cases. I have heard all sorts of horror stories from NYC, Mass and the like. If you are there I would be extra sure to cross your t’s and dot your I’s. Just read the TSA/ airline policies and comply with them and you should be just fine. I think having a legit case vs some jerry rigged lunch box is advisable and prevents a lot of hassle. Pelican cases are expensive but awesome.

Loss/ theft is an interesting topic. The airlines have a complicated job getting a lot of bags to different places in a timely manner and inevitably a certain percentage of bags are misrouted, misplaced or even lost. However some folks have noted bags with firearms or other good stuff tend to get stolen lost more often.

It is my personal opinion that small locking cases inside normal luggage probably lead themselves more to theft than a big, hard to open case. A small lock box could get stashed and slipped into a lunch box to be opened by the thief at home. On the other hand it is harder to discretely carry a fairly secure box the size of a microwave out discretely after work. I’ve heard of people locking their small case with a wire to the suitcase. If limited to a single bag I’d probably go with a big locked pelican type case to hold my spare clothes and such that also would protect my gun.

It is true there is risk in flying with guns. Heck there is risk to everything. I’d be awful careful and get special insurance to fly with an expensive class III weapon or something but for a couple normal guns it’s probably not worth the hassle. 

In conclusion with a bit of preparation I do not think flying with firearms is a big deal. Pay a bit of attention, follow the rules and you will probably be fine. If you want to bring a gun on a trip or whatever I would be comfortable doing so.

What have your experiences flying with firearms been?