I don't know if this has been discussed before or not. I'm leaving for Vegas and staying in the old part in about three weeks. Am I allowed to pack my gun in my luggage for flying?
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question.
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Venus Pax
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You weapon will have to be declared/checked, and must be unloaded.
Several here have flown with firearms, and they will give you more specifics.
Either way, I would call the airline you're using and get the exact information on what they want you to do. Get a name. I did this when declaring my stun gun, and I had no problems.
Several here have flown with firearms, and they will give you more specifics.
Either way, I would call the airline you're using and get the exact information on what they want you to do. Get a name. I did this when declaring my stun gun, and I had no problems.
"If a man breaks in your house, he ain't there for iced tea." Mom & Dad.
The NRA & TSRA are a bargain; they're much cheaper than the cold, dead hands experience.
The NRA & TSRA are a bargain; they're much cheaper than the cold, dead hands experience.
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frankie_the_yankee
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Your unloaded gun needs to be in a locked hard shell case. This case can either be a stand alone unit or you can put it inside of another larger suitcase if you want.
When you check in for the flight, tell the clerk you are making a declaration that the suitcase you are checking contains an unloaded firearm. The clerk will give you an orange tag that you must sign. Printed on the tag are the words "Unloaded Firearm" in big letters. There is also a statement that the case contains an unloaded firearm and that it is a violation of federal law to make a false statement when signing the tag.
You put the tag inside of your case and lock it up.
Some clerks ask to inspect the gun themselves, I guess to be sure it is unloaded. I don't know if they have the legal right to do this or not, but I humor them. The way I look at it, no harm no foul.
Then you will be directed to take your checked baggage to the TSA screening point. TSA will run your bags through their x-ray machine. They may or may not ask you to open the case or ask for the key so they may open it. When they are done, they will put little TSA sticky tags on your bags. (They put them on all of the bags they screen.)
You may also pack ammo in either original factory containers or proper ammo boxes. (They don't want loose ammo floating aroind inside your bags.) I would recommend that you avoid packing loadd magazines. The ammo is best packed in a different case from the gun(s). The amount of ammo you can carry is limited. I think it is something like 11 lbs. total. But you should check with the airline if you are packing anything more than a box or two. (Realistically, how much do you NEED to bring with you?)
Of course as others have pointed out, NV does not yet have reciprocity with TX. So unless you have a CHL from some other state that does, you will not be able to carry concealed in NV.
Not sure what the law says about open carry but I would not recommend it in urban areas. And I'm pretty sure no casino is going to let you in while you are carrying openly.
When you check in for the flight, tell the clerk you are making a declaration that the suitcase you are checking contains an unloaded firearm. The clerk will give you an orange tag that you must sign. Printed on the tag are the words "Unloaded Firearm" in big letters. There is also a statement that the case contains an unloaded firearm and that it is a violation of federal law to make a false statement when signing the tag.
You put the tag inside of your case and lock it up.
Some clerks ask to inspect the gun themselves, I guess to be sure it is unloaded. I don't know if they have the legal right to do this or not, but I humor them. The way I look at it, no harm no foul.
Then you will be directed to take your checked baggage to the TSA screening point. TSA will run your bags through their x-ray machine. They may or may not ask you to open the case or ask for the key so they may open it. When they are done, they will put little TSA sticky tags on your bags. (They put them on all of the bags they screen.)
You may also pack ammo in either original factory containers or proper ammo boxes. (They don't want loose ammo floating aroind inside your bags.) I would recommend that you avoid packing loadd magazines. The ammo is best packed in a different case from the gun(s). The amount of ammo you can carry is limited. I think it is something like 11 lbs. total. But you should check with the airline if you are packing anything more than a box or two. (Realistically, how much do you NEED to bring with you?)
Of course as others have pointed out, NV does not yet have reciprocity with TX. So unless you have a CHL from some other state that does, you will not be able to carry concealed in NV.
Not sure what the law says about open carry but I would not recommend it in urban areas. And I'm pretty sure no casino is going to let you in while you are carrying openly.
Ahm jus' a Southern boy trapped in a Yankee's body
Go to these two links and read the TSA's rules on traveling with firearms:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... ems.shtm#5
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... _1666.shtm
Then bring up the website(s) for the airline(s) you will be traveling on, and read their rules. Search on "firearms," "gun," "prohibited items." Sometimes they make it hard to find their policies. TSA sets the boundaries on what you can bring, but the airlines can be more restrictive. For example, by TSA rules it is OK to transport ammunition in magazines inside of of holders or pouches so as to completely enclose the ammo, but American Airlines' policy says ammo must be in original packaging. I split the difference and packed my magazines inside a 50-round cardboard ammo box (reinforced with some tape). On my last trip, the gate agent didn't even look at the gun or the ammo.
Here's AA's firearms policy:
http://www.aa.com/aa/pubcontent/en_US/t ... rearms.jsp
Some notes from my travels (most recently just this last Monday):
- Print out copies of the TSA rules and the airline rules and have them with you -- I haven't had to lawyer my way thru an ignorant/uncooperative gate agent, but I know people who have, and a man with paper copy of the rules is always better off.
- the "unloaded firearm" statement is not always orange -- AA has a white one
- Some times the gate agent will want to verify it is unloaded, sometimes, the TSA agent will do that, sometimes nobody checks. Be ready.
- If your gun case is inside another bag/suitcase, make sure the outer bag can be locked or zip tied. I always do this anyway, but on one of my trips, part of the zipper gizmo used for locking broke right at the TSA inspection site, and the TSA guy didn't want to let the bag go thru without it being locked -- don't know if this is a "rule" or not, but I didn't want it to go thru unsecured either! Luckily I had some long zip ties in an outside pocket for emergencies, and the TSA guy and I cobbled together an arrangement that would keep the zipper closed. Spare zipties are good!
- But if you use zipties on the outside of your bag, make sure you have a small sharp knife or scissors in an outside pocket of the bag, so you can remove the zip tie at the other end. It is tough to saw thru a zip tie with a car key. Don't ask me how I know that!
elb
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... ems.shtm#5
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... _1666.shtm
Then bring up the website(s) for the airline(s) you will be traveling on, and read their rules. Search on "firearms," "gun," "prohibited items." Sometimes they make it hard to find their policies. TSA sets the boundaries on what you can bring, but the airlines can be more restrictive. For example, by TSA rules it is OK to transport ammunition in magazines inside of of holders or pouches so as to completely enclose the ammo, but American Airlines' policy says ammo must be in original packaging. I split the difference and packed my magazines inside a 50-round cardboard ammo box (reinforced with some tape). On my last trip, the gate agent didn't even look at the gun or the ammo.
Here's AA's firearms policy:
http://www.aa.com/aa/pubcontent/en_US/t ... rearms.jsp
Some notes from my travels (most recently just this last Monday):
- Print out copies of the TSA rules and the airline rules and have them with you -- I haven't had to lawyer my way thru an ignorant/uncooperative gate agent, but I know people who have, and a man with paper copy of the rules is always better off.
- the "unloaded firearm" statement is not always orange -- AA has a white one
- Some times the gate agent will want to verify it is unloaded, sometimes, the TSA agent will do that, sometimes nobody checks. Be ready.
- If your gun case is inside another bag/suitcase, make sure the outer bag can be locked or zip tied. I always do this anyway, but on one of my trips, part of the zipper gizmo used for locking broke right at the TSA inspection site, and the TSA guy didn't want to let the bag go thru without it being locked -- don't know if this is a "rule" or not, but I didn't want it to go thru unsecured either! Luckily I had some long zip ties in an outside pocket for emergencies, and the TSA guy and I cobbled together an arrangement that would keep the zipper closed. Spare zipties are good!
- But if you use zipties on the outside of your bag, make sure you have a small sharp knife or scissors in an outside pocket of the bag, so you can remove the zip tie at the other end. It is tough to saw thru a zip tie with a car key. Don't ask me how I know that!
elb
