I’ll be travelling from SEA to PHX soon for a much needed vacation. I plan on bringing my AR with me and, as this will be my first time flying with an AR, I’m still confused about whether I need a TSA lock or not for my Pelican 1700.
I’ve searched this site and have seen arguments on both sides of the question.
Waste of money, use some zip-ties on your regular luggage and a real lock on your weapons case. You’ll be sealing it up at the counter at check-in and you can wait at TSA while they X-ray it before going to the gate.
Put two real locks on the 1700 and be done with it.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm
I like the Brass Pelican Combo Locks or the Brass Combo Master Locks that are similar.
My dad works for the TSA and told me you can put whatever lock you want on it as long as you make sure it gets through the X-ray and they don’t need to open it. I wouldn’t bother with TSA locks.
Use “real” locks. You have to declare the weapon at the ticket counter when checking in. If TSA wants to see the weapon or anything then you must be the one to open the case. I’ve never had any issues myself with TSA…just an occasional anti-gun lady at the ticketing counter.
The hard-sided case that holds the guns should have good, solid locks. I put two steel padlocks on my little pistol case. That, in turn, goes inside a large duffel or suitcase which uses TSA locks. That allows the TSA folks to open my luggage, see the little Pelican with the “declared firearms” tag taped to it, and go about their merry way.
When I ship long guns or use a bigger Pelican, I just put the padlocks on it and wait to make sure they don’t need anything opened up.
What Chooie said…
Use real locks on your 1700…if they (feel the) need to get into the case after you’ve checked it, they can find you/page you/call you…they DO NOT need unimpeded access to your property after you’ve gone through the clearance process.
This is what I do.
“The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from access by anyone other than you.”
You should never use TSA locks for firearms transport.
Yup, what the others have said. Use real locks. The only time your case should be open, you should be with it. Have flown MSP to PHX by way of O’hare and not had problems on either end, using locks that only I could open.
Exactly what I did a few hours ago. I flew from TPA to RDU and landed about an hour ago. The only difference is that I have yet to have a ticket agent or TSA employee put the sticker on the outside of the case. They have always just slid it in there while they are inspecting it.
Only use TSA locks on the outer luggage if you place a pistol case that. The pistol case should have a sturdy regular lock(s). The TSA locks just help to deter the baggage handlers from getting inside your normal luggage. But the pistol or rifle case should have heavy duty locks that only you can open.
The signed declaration goes inside the pistol or rifle case. If TSA needs it open they will ask you to open it, never give them the key or combination. A ticket agent has absolutely no business with your firearm or case, just to give you a declaration form, and to ensure you fill it out and place it in the case.
If you field strip the action of the firearm so that the TSA can see in the Xray it can’t possibly be loaded then they won’t pull it aide and ask you to open it for inspection. Pull bolt out of a rifle, slide off and bbl out for pistol, and remove cylinder of revolver. Make it easy for TSA to verify on xray and you will save a bunch of time.
ETA: Best protection is to avoid large city airports at which baggage handler theft is rampant, Chicago is the worst. I try to always get smaller airport connections and avoid Chicago, DC, NYC, LA, Atlanta, etc.
TSA at MSP is great. Never a problem with those guys. A couple of mediocre ticket agents, but TSA is GTG.
For a pistol case that’s contained within a larger bag, the declaration goes outside the case, not inside.
It was reciently brought to my attention that because of the wording of the rules you can actually place your firearm in a SOFT sided case INSIDE a HARD piece of luggage that is locked WITHOUT a TSA lock(meaning use the biggest lock you can find).
That means that according to their rules you MUST lock the firearm inside of a HARD sided case but you can have as much stuff as you like in the case with the firearm. So you can have a completely solid, unaccessable piece of luggage with a stout paddle lock that you can put whatever you dont want every luggage handler with a TSA key getting into. As long as you have a firearm in the case/luggage you can protect all your electronics, valuables, ect.
Somewhere on the net their is a video of how this works by a guy who keeps all his luggage in large steel containgers with industrial locks lol. He has to pay for the weight but apparently he had stuff stolen one too many times.
I use Combination lock, 2 of them. I transport my M-4 from Tucson to FAS 3-4 times a year.
Yep, a lot of photographers will pack a starter pistol in their big cases to protect their equipment, since starter pistols are treated as a firearm by the TSA.
That’s how I travel (case within the luggage) and in my 3 years of traveling (TPA, MIA, RDU, Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans, CLT, BHM) not once has the declaration gone on the outside of the case, always on the inside of the pistol case. Not saying that it shouldnt go in the larger case, but its never happened with me.
TSA locks for the luggage and real locks for the gun case. TSA has no right to inspect the gun case w/o you being present…their regs.