I flew Monday and Thursday with my pistol. I had my pistol in a locked hard pistol case inside the main suitcase. I didnt lock my main suitcase which contained the locked pistol case. I dont lock the main suitcase for two reasons one TSA will just break it or call me if they want to get into it, and the other is if somebody steals the main suitcase they are either going to break the lock or they are going to take a $10 pocket knife and cut the suitcase open in less than a minute. Either way I dont see the point in locking the main suitcase.
Aside from two ticket agents and one TSA agent not knowing the regulations very well I traveled without any hassle.
My recommendation is just to print the airline policy and tsa's policy and take it with you. It can be a fun educational moment for everyone involved.
And when approaching the ticket agent just say with confidence, "I need to sign a firearms declaration tag for this particular suitcase"
I would avoid walking up to the ticket agent and screaming "I have a gun!" that would be ill advised.
