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Do any of y'all travel with your guns? I will be flying to from Dallas to Houston in a few weeks and driving back to Dallas, and would like to have my gun for the ride back to Dallas. My plan was to case the gun and put the case inside a checked bag. Where can I get an inexpensive TSA approved case to use once? Is that a good idea or does anyone have another suggestion?

Depending on which airline you are flying:

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/guns.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

aggie06 wrote:Do any of y'all travel with your guns? I will be flying to from Dallas to Houston in a few weeks and driving back to Dallas, and would like to have my gun for the ride back to Dallas. My plan was to case the gun and put the case inside a checked bag. Where can I get an inexpensive TSA approved case to use once? Is that a good idea or does anyone have another suggestion?

I used a cheap $2.95 plastic case one time, but I usually use a COM box when I fly. It gets used other times too, so it was worth the $30.

Search this site for "airline gun." Many threads on this.

Also, the exact federal law/TSA rules can be found on the TSA website (TSA.gov I think). Be sure to read the specific policy of the airline on their website.

Basic answer -- the gun must be unloaded and in a hard sided, locked case that only you have the key or combo to. NOT a TSA approved luggage lock. You can put the hard sided gun case inside your regular suit case (which is what I do).

I use a plastic handgun case with foam padding that I got at a gun store for $5, and use a key lock that fits around the handles.
You can buy more expensive cases that are harder to break into, but I figure that will get stolen as well if some baggage handler roots through my suitcase. I would think that a hard-sided suitcase would work just as well as long as you could lock it.

There is no "TSA approved" gun case that I am aware of, just the requirement for it to be a hard case and be locked with only you having the key or combo.

For what it's worth. I've used my XD hard case when flying twice, and ELB has summed up the procedure very well.

Southwest has taken it all in stride the times I've flown there with guns. But remember, when bringing it up with the ticket agent, it's "I WOULD LIKE TO DECLARE A FIREARM," not "I'VE GOT A GUN!"

I picked up a 2-gun case at Academy for about $20, which is big enough to pack my carry, my backup, and my mags/speed-loaders (EMPTY THEM!) all together. Then I put the ammo in a separate box (just a reloader's ammo box).

I've also flown with a couple other airlines where I had to explain to them just what the procedure was...so know it.

I flew out of Houston to Reno and back on two different airlines this year.
While the procedures varied slightly all parties involved acted as thou it was no big deal.
Be prepared to open baggage at the ticket counter and place a tag in your handgun case then
lock case and baggage. TSA lock on bag and non-TSA lock on guncase.

Guess they don't want them BG's in TSA to be able to open.

Baggage will arrive with all the others. It really is NO BIG DEAL !!!

Just a personal note about TSA locks. - DON'T USE THEM. Just about everyone has a key to them and they will increase your chances of having something stolen. There is no requirement to use them, so why use them. Just use regular Master locks or other quality locks for everything.

Thanks for all the replies. Y'all have been very helpful.

Since you're flying inside the state, that makes it easy, because of the law, and common airline carrier...I don't have to fly anymore, so it doesn't really effect me much...

Not going to throw rocks at any of the advise and experiences noted so far...Most folks have been through many of these discussions and ALL of us have learned from others experiences...That's the best thing about this website...A second to none, knowledge base...

For what its worth, the combination of those COM (Center-of-Mass) lock boxes, due to there size, profile, and ease of operation, cost, and being a proven mechanism to accomplish this task, has been my choice for flying with a firearm in my checked baggage for some time now...Packing just the ammo needed for the trip, in those caliber specific, plastic reloading boxes, has had the benefit of proving without much explanation the persons professionalism and improved containment requirements for ammo storage (both required from the airlines and other legal regulations)...Personally, I believe those manufacturers/retailed "thin cardboard material" ammunition boxes, don't hold up very well, for very long, in airline handled luggage...Just my opinion, thats why I use the reloaders boxes...

As far as complying with the airlines requirements, this system, along with the flyer's knowledge of the airlines requirements and state laws both at your departure point and destination, are the best tools for making this whole process one, that is beginning to become a more widely utilized right to keep and bear arms that I can see...Not that my opinion matters much...

Sure, the hoops we sometimes have to jump through can sometimes be a pain, but our assertiveness and preparation for trips like this prove to the naysayers that once again "we" are not the problem...And we will actually demonstrate how we can improve on the process (technically) without breaking any laws or regulations that they couldn't anticipate themselves when they originated these procedures...

This is one of those "cornerstone" topics that (in my opinion) never gets old, or over-discussed...

Here is something coming from an "expert"...

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37475" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are some things that are correct, but then again there are some things in this article that are not, or embelished to give the impression that it is more of a problem (or pain in the neck) than it seems...

Most of us are not of the high profile that this guy is...I'm one, probably like many, to transport only what I carry on my person everyday...

Sometimes you have to follow an agent, who is carrying your suitcase to another area (on the same level, thank goodness), where a TSA and scanner are located, wait for the rummaging and scan, and then being told you can go. So, allow about 20 minutes extra in case you need to do that.

Thanks again for all the replies, especially the advice to allow more time. Everything went through security without a hitch, and now I'm sitting in the terminal waiting to board my flight. Hope the flight to Houston makes it out on time.