Will be acquiring 3 firearms (duty weapons) from my brother. He passed away in Dec., 2021. Was a LEO for 30 years. Guns will be in a locked Pelican case, which will be checked in as a separate piece of luggage. Does anyone have experience flying with firearms. I want to make this as problem free as possible.
Flying with Firearms.
- Thread starter FFFEMT
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Don't know if this counts. On a flight from Saudi Arabia to the US carried my Barretta M9. It was unloaded of course and nobody said a word. It was on a military chartered aircraft returning from the Gulf War with about 200 US Marines equally armed. The firearms belonged to the armory at Camp Lejeune and we were responsible for them.
I don't know where you're flying from, but check the gun laws in that state before you attempt to fly out with a case full of guns. You can be arrested at the airport by local police if the law requires you have that state's concealed carry license in place to carry the guns from your brother's house to the airport.
locked case with lock only you can open. when you go to the counter say" i need to declare an unloaded firearm" to the counter person. they will give you a paper to fill out. After you fill it out you are supposed to put it into the locked case. now this is where is can vary from airports. Some will have you take your luggage to an inspection area. there they looked at the firearms etc. then if good they sent it on it way . the other way i have experienced is they take the bag right at the counter and then send it on its way there. then they ask you to wait a certain amount of time to see if there are any issues . if they don't call you you go to your gate.
from there just pick it up at the carousel as usual. if you are flying out of a big airport usually the folks know the drill. its not as bad as many think. Now if you are passing through the iron curtain aka the east coast airports, especially nyc and some others, be really careful on when you can take your luggage.
from there just pick it up at the carousel as usual. if you are flying out of a big airport usually the folks know the drill. its not as bad as many think. Now if you are passing through the iron curtain aka the east coast airports, especially nyc and some others, be really careful on when you can take your luggage.
Why not ship them home and avoid any potential hassles?
+1.
I don't do it that often by a stretch but I have periodically for 25+ years. Never an issue so don't fear this, just be prepared. Kink is you often get better, faster service this was than if you did NOT have a gun.
Because if you follow the rules (not the "law," just the rules the carriers put in place as CYA), it's actually more of a hassle and big expense. This is way easier.
Some law abiding citizens have been arrested for having a checked gun when their flight was rerouted to an airport in New York vs New Jersey. Overzealous prosecutors. You'll have to spend a small fortune hiring an attorney to get out of such a mess along with jail time until you bond out. This is despite it being legal.
+1 to the above. Of course ensure it's unloaded and physically separated from any ammunition. I find it helps to use a bright yellow or orange chamber flag to visually indicate it's unloaded. Make sure you can legally carry the firearm to and from the airport on both sides of your trip. In most states, you don't need a carry permit. Just comply with the Safe Passage Act (18 USC 926A). But check to make sure: both airline policy, and state law.
I've done this many times, never had a problem.
+1 to the above. Of course ensure it's unloaded and physically separated from any ammunition. I find it helps to use a bright yellow or orange chamber flag to visually indicate it's unloaded. Make sure you can legally carry the firearm to and from the airport on both sides of your trip. In most states, you don't need a carry permit. Just comply with the Safe Passage Act (18 USC 926A). But check to make sure: both airline policy, and state law.
I've done this many times, never had a problem.
That is my experience too.... you often get better, faster service this was than if you did NOT have a gun.
From what state will you be flying back to Arizona?
Make sure your lock is TSA approved. I've traveled with firearms many times and had no problems. I did learn and follow the procedures exactly.
[edit] Always put a bright colored chamber flag in each firearm. The TSA inspectors LOVE to see those. The flags make your inspection time short and quick.
[edit] Always put a bright colored chamber flag in each firearm. The TSA inspectors LOVE to see those. The flags make your inspection time short and quick.
First and foremost, condolences to you on the passing of your Brother….
Shouldn’t have an issue in AZ, but Chicago…….
Are they ”your” firearms and registered to you?
I wonder if you would be better well served if you shipped the firearms via a FFL dealer to another FFL dealer in your home State…..
Shouldn’t have an issue in AZ, but Chicago…….
Are they ”your” firearms and registered to you?
I wonder if you would be better well served if you shipped the firearms via a FFL dealer to another FFL dealer in your home State…..
It's illegal for most people, i.e. you have to be a licensed gun reseller.
no, in my experiences the locks on the pistol case itself cannot be tsa approved, i.e. only you can have the key or combo to the locks, tsa locks can be unlocked by someone with the appropriate key. in any event i always travel with extra sufficient tsa and non-tsa locks on me to account for any vagaries. know laws at departure/transit/arrival airports, https://www.handgunlaw.us/
i very often fly with declared & checked pistols, including to/from/through even gun-unfriendly ord, phl, san, pdx, sea, except never/never to/from/through ewr, lga, jfk, bos. ensure that the pistol case is hardsided and has two locking points (pelican cases are gtg). apply non-tsa locks to the pistol case, and then place this locked pistol case inside some regular airline bag with a tsa lock applied to the latter. pistols and mags must be unloaded, ammo in factory box or plastic purpose-built ammo case only, all inside pistol case. do check in early and declare to airline staff, then follow airline & tsa instructions (each can be slightly different) and you should be retrieving this specially redtagged checked bag not on carousel but at airline’s own baggage service desk at your final destination. keep it all locked and closed up until outside the terminal at least. be patient, ime some airline and/or tsa staff are unsure and even perturbed with firearms (sea), others are a sheer pleasure and make small talk about their own pieces (las).
of course none of this explanation addresses the mechanics of lawfully transfering a firearm from the estate of a decedent, or by living person, including a relative, to another person who is a resident or non resident of the state in question.
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Chicago crook county is its own set of worms. i suggest you study up the law in that county when it comes to firearms transfers . might be better to pay an ffl to send it home for transfer . a ffl can send pistols via usps flat rate box to anothe ffl so shipping is not too expensive
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