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pdubyoo wrote:
Question...when you do check a handgun that is in it's locked hard case, but is not packed in your luggage, does it go in the cargo hold with the rest of the luggage? I've heard that some pilots like to carry the checked handguns in the cockpit. Any truth to that?

Rifle cases go on the hold as separate items, but I would never check a handgun case by itself, and haven't seen any to my knowledge. Even if I didn't have anything else, I would put it in a regular suitcase and wrap it up in spare shirts or something to fill the space...

Also, I can't imagine airline pilots carrying other people's checked guns in the cockpit. For one thing, they shouldn't know which bags have guns -- it is against the law now to mark luggage that contains guns (apparently this wasn't always true). Secondly, there is little enough room in the cockpit as it is. Third of course would be the liability issue for the pilots. They have enough liability as it is steering the plane.

pdubyoo wrote:Also, I'm certain that it doesn't just come out on the luggage conveyor...I assume you go to the baggage claim desk for that airline to claim your handgun...??

If you mean a gun container that is checked separately, not in another bag...I picked mine right up off the carousel, just like regular baggage. Been a few years since I checked a rifle, but I believe the ones I seen recently were the same. I alway scurry off the plane and to the baggage area pronto when I fly...

pdubyoo wrote:Has anyone ever heard of a handgun checked in luggage that was "missing" at the destination?

Yes unfortunately. You can google this. Baggage theft, both entire bags and items taken out of bags, is frequent (altho in terms of the number of bags processed, a small risk for any individual bag). There is a government database of reported thefts, and some newspaper up in the NW US ran a series of articles on it a couple or four years ago.

Some info on experience and research:

So, for those who have gone through this, does this mean the the hard sided, plastic case that my firearm came in, with a master lock around the handle, and placed in my checked luggage bag will do?

Yes, it will do nicely. I have traveled many times with the same arrangement.

Also, since CA doesn't have reciprocity with Texas for concealed carry, do airport officials need to know about this and is prior approval needed?

The only ones who care and need to know that you are flying with a gun are the people at the departure end, and the CHL/reciprocity business means nothing to them. It is legal to check an unloaded gun in your luggage as long as it is packed properly, end of discussion. There is no reason to tell anyone in California that you have a gun, and I highly recommend that you do not do so.

They will give you a small form to sign, and a tag to go inside your luggage.

This varies from airport to airport. Some ticket agents tell you to put it inside the gun case with the gun, some tell you to put it on top of the gun case inside your regular luggage.

They do recommend you buy one of their official locks...

If by official lock, it means one of the ones the TSA has a master key to -- DO NOT DO THIS. THIS IS AGAINST THE LAW. Only the owner/traveler may have a key to the gun case. If your gun case is inside a regular suit case (normally the situation with pistols) the regular outer suitcase can be locked with a TSA lock. The TSA may take the gun case key to look inside the case (and then give the key back to you), but per a TSA employee who is a member of this board, they may not handle the gun -- they are only supposed to be looking for other things.

"I have an UNLOADED firearm to declare"

Heh. I never thought of that way. I always just say I need to declare a gun in my checked bag, and no one has panicked. They just ask me if it is unloaded.

Hints on the ammo: Per TSA rules, ammo may be packed in the same case as the gun, and magazines are fine as ammo carriers as long as the open end of the magazine is covered so the rounds don't get loose. However, some airlines do not allow this. I just take a regular ammo box (says Winchester on it), reinforced with a bit with duct tape, stuff my loaded magazines into the box with the loose round in a baggie, add some packing so it doesn't rattle, and close the box. I store that in the same small bag I put all my other "naughty" stuff in, like knives and so forth, and tuck it in a corner of the suitcase where I know I can find it easily at the other end.

Sometimes agents want to you to verify to them that the gun is unloaded, which means opening the action or cylinder and all that. Some don't. Lately that seems to have gone by the wayside, at least where i have traveled. They just ask me, take my word for it, and give me the tag to fill out.