On the outbound leg, I went to the Southwest counter, told the gal I was checking a pistol in my suitcase. She asked me if the gun was unloaded and in a hard, locked container, and I think she also asked if the ammo was separate. Yes and yes and yes. She gave me the little white card to fill out and told me to put it in my suitcase, anywhere was fine. I unzipped it just enough to push the card in, zipped it up, secured it, and done. At the check point I was directed to go over and do the nudie pic. Flew to Indiana (via Phoenix
)and picked the gun up with no problem.In Indy, there are thankfully relatively few people at the airport, only a couple out bound flights in the middle of Monday, it seems. I go to the Southwest counter and tell the woman there the same thing. She gave me the little white card, but also asked me to open the suitcase. When I was done with the card, she took a big strip of sealing tape and taped the card to the outside of the gunbox. Then I closed and secured the bag. The she stapled a half sheet of paper to my baggage claim paperwork and told me to be sure and show it to the TSA when I got to the security check point. The sheet of paper said:
(all the blanks were filled in by hand)Checked Firearm Clearance Form
In order to ensure your firearm travels on the flight it is checked on, please complete all the steps listed below.
1. When you arrive at the Security Checkpoint, ask for a TSA Supervisor.
2. Present this form to the TSA Supervisor.
3. Ensure you have the key/combination to your case/bag in case the weapon requires further TSA inspection.
Date _____ SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Departure Time: _______ Flight# ______
So off I go. Show the form to the first TSA guy I come to. He says show it to the next one, who is actually checking IDs and boarding passes. He calls on his radio for a Supervisor. Before he is finished, another TSA guy shows up and asks my name. I tell him and he says something like yeah, we already were coming up for the key. He wants to take the key and go check something. (This is interesting, there is nothing in the gun box except an empty gun, foam, and a piece of paper. No mags, nothing else.) I am not wild about them fiddling with stuff without me around, but I am not ready to raise a ruckus, so OK, here you go. Go thru the nudie pics again (each time I am lined up in front of the regular magnetic scanner, but get picked out to go do the picture deal).
Wander around for awhile just other side of the check point waiting for my key. No one comes my way. Finally go to the a booth marked supervisor that has three Indy policemen lounging inside. They point out the supervisor. I go find him and tell him he owes me a key. He calls someone, about that time another TSA guy walks up with it. Probably 15 minutes from key handover to return. Off I go, with plane change in Denver, back to San Antonio.
Oh, btw way, in Indy upon entering the security checkpoint line there is a little sign that says something like "This year the TSA found 28 guns, so-many-knives, so-many-other pepper spray" etc. on it. I wanted to stop and add "and not a single one of them belonged to a terrorist." but I really needed to get back to San Antonio.
Useless rigamarole. I am going to write Rick Perry and suggest that President Perry fire the whole lot of them right after he cleans out the Department of Justice and the BATFE.
