4 ms·

The most secure way to transport goods in checked bags is to fly with a checked firearm. You are required to lock a firearm in a hard-sided case with locks that

by spilk 11y ago

The most secure way to transport goods in checked bags is to fly with a checked firearm. You are required to lock a firearm in a hard-sided case with locks that only you have the keys to -- TSA approved locks are not allowed. You are allowed to lock whatever else you want in these cases too. They are screened more closely and if they can't determine contents with an x-ray they will ask you to open the locks in their presence. It's a tradeoff for convenience, for sure, but it's the only way to travel with securely locked baggage.

fiatmoney 11y ago
You don't even really need a firearm; a starter pistol, or probably even a flare launcher, would suffice.
- jeff_marshall 11y ago
  Be careful with this advice - If the TSA considers an item a firearm, local law enforcement may as well. If you are traveling to a place where firearms are restricted, you could end up facing penalties for possesion that don't discrimenate between "starter pistol" and "real pistol"
  - vvanders 11y ago
    Yeah, I seem to recall a few stories of people getting in trouble traveling through states where this is an issue(I think the state in question was New York) via a connecting flight.
    - OopsCriticality 11y ago
      It happens in New Jersey too. What typically happens is there is an unexpected layover (say, due to weather), so the victims take possession of their luggage (with firearm) without malicious intent when they go to a hotel, and get arrested the following morning when checking in. In that situation, the proper (only?) course of action is to refuse to take possession of your checked luggage. While traveling through a state, one is supposed to be protected by FOPA [0]. An uncharitable (technically correct but against the spirit) reading of the law is used by New Jersey and New York to harass gun owners, as in this case and in other more egregious cases. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act
      - danieltillett 11y ago
        Is a gun that has been permanently made inoperatible considered a firearm in NJ and NY? Could you travel with something that looked like a gun by X-ray, but in fact was harmless?
        OopsCriticality 11y ago
        I can't speak to the ultimate legality of your idea, but I would guess that one would be arrested and it would be up to your lawyer to demonstrate that you were acting within the bounds of the law (if you were). To your first question, I think it's fair to say that both NJ and NYC (and because of NYC, NY to a lesser extent) are generally perceived as being hostile towards firearms and general weapons ownership. If I were to predict states that restricted possession of an inoperable or antique firearm, NJ and NY would be at the top of my list, in that order. To your second question, the appearance of the object has no bearing on it's legal status as a firearm (laws prohibiting look-alike objects notwithstanding). A pistol frame or lower receiver, incapable of being anything but a paperweight without all the other parts, is a firearm for legal purposes and would get one busted in the same manner as if it were a completely operational firearm. Weapons laws are nuanced, pedantic, and frustrating. Frequently, they make no rational sense.
        chiph 11y ago
        The cop is going to err on the side of public safety and arrest you. And let someone else sort out whether it was a real gun or not.
    - paulddraper 11y ago
      Traveling with unloaded firearms through states is federally protected. A few years ago, Greg Revell had a layover in New Jersey and bad weather caused his flight to be delayed. He stayed in a hotel, and New Jersey wound up arresting him and confiscating his firearm which was illegal in the state. He argued that he was still traveling; New Jersey said he wasn't. He took it to court and won. tl;dr Traveling through a state with a firearm is legal, but law enforcement can (apparently) still harress you even if you are obeying the law.
      - URSpider94 11y ago
        Legal in principle, yes. And yet, this person got arrested and harassed, and had to go to court to prove his point, where he was at non-zero risk of being convicted and sent to prison depending upon a reading of the law. Needless to say, his day, and his trip, were ruined.
- fein 11y ago
  You can actually use a credit card if you have (I think) a trust. I was watching a podcast a while back on some guys about securing baggage, it also may have been a gunnit podcast where one of the guys did this, and he registered his credit card as a firearm with the trust. All of the requirements for a firearm can also apply to a credit card (basically it has a serial), so he was able to register his "firearm" with his trust and take it through using the process for checking an actual firearm.
  - techdragon 11y ago
    I'd love to hear more about that, any more details or links to share?
    - fein 11y ago
      Took me a bit to find, but I tracked it down at the end of the day when I made that post: https://youtu.be/nMBwM32wTfs?t=22m35s https://youtu.be/nMBwM32wTfs?t=22m35s This is the Gunnit Live podcast from some of the mods and others that are regulars on /r/guns
      - deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]
userbinator 11y ago
You are allowed to lock whatever else you want in these cases too. If enough people abuse this, I expect they'll start requiring those items to be firearm-related too.
- pavel_lishin 11y ago
  This is my firing-range laptop.
beagle3 11y ago
It improves the probability of you getting your stuff, of course, but it isn't an absolute guarantee - see, e.g. http://www.bbc.com/news/10536793 http://www.bbc.com/news/10536793

by spilk 11y ago

fiatmoney 11y ago

You don't even really need a firearm; a starter pistol, or probably even a flare launcher, would suffice.

jeff_marshall 11y ago
Be careful with this advice - If the TSA considers an item a firearm, local law enforcement may as well. If you are traveling to a place where firearms are restricted, you could end up facing penalties for possesion that don't discrimenate between "starter pistol" and "real pistol"
- vvanders 11y ago
  Yeah, I seem to recall a few stories of people getting in trouble traveling through states where this is an issue(I think the state in question was New York) via a connecting flight.
  - OopsCriticality 11y ago
    It happens in New Jersey too. What typically happens is there is an unexpected layover (say, due to weather), so the victims take possession of their luggage (with firearm) without malicious intent when they go to a hotel, and get arrested the following morning when checking in. In that situation, the proper (only?) course of action is to refuse to take possession of your checked luggage. While traveling through a state, one is supposed to be protected by FOPA [0]. An uncharitable (technically correct but against the spirit) reading of the law is used by New Jersey and New York to harass gun owners, as in this case and in other more egregious cases. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act
    - danieltillett 11y ago
      Is a gun that has been permanently made inoperatible considered a firearm in NJ and NY? Could you travel with something that looked like a gun by X-ray, but in fact was harmless?
      - OopsCriticality 11y ago
        I can't speak to the ultimate legality of your idea, but I would guess that one would be arrested and it would be up to your lawyer to demonstrate that you were acting within the bounds of the law (if you were). To your first question, I think it's fair to say that both NJ and NYC (and because of NYC, NY to a lesser extent) are generally perceived as being hostile towards firearms and general weapons ownership. If I were to predict states that restricted possession of an inoperable or antique firearm, NJ and NY would be at the top of my list, in that order. To your second question, the appearance of the object has no bearing on it's legal status as a firearm (laws prohibiting look-alike objects notwithstanding). A pistol frame or lower receiver, incapable of being anything but a paperweight without all the other parts, is a firearm for legal purposes and would get one busted in the same manner as if it were a completely operational firearm. Weapons laws are nuanced, pedantic, and frustrating. Frequently, they make no rational sense.
      - chiph 11y ago
        The cop is going to err on the side of public safety and arrest you. And let someone else sort out whether it was a real gun or not.
  - paulddraper 11y ago
    Traveling with unloaded firearms through states is federally protected. A few years ago, Greg Revell had a layover in New Jersey and bad weather caused his flight to be delayed. He stayed in a hotel, and New Jersey wound up arresting him and confiscating his firearm which was illegal in the state. He argued that he was still traveling; New Jersey said he wasn't. He took it to court and won. tl;dr Traveling through a state with a firearm is legal, but law enforcement can (apparently) still harress you even if you are obeying the law.
    - URSpider94 11y ago
      Legal in principle, yes. And yet, this person got arrested and harassed, and had to go to court to prove his point, where he was at non-zero risk of being convicted and sent to prison depending upon a reading of the law. Needless to say, his day, and his trip, were ruined.
fein 11y ago
You can actually use a credit card if you have (I think) a trust. I was watching a podcast a while back on some guys about securing baggage, it also may have been a gunnit podcast where one of the guys did this, and he registered his credit card as a firearm with the trust. All of the requirements for a firearm can also apply to a credit card (basically it has a serial), so he was able to register his "firearm" with his trust and take it through using the process for checking an actual firearm.
- techdragon 11y ago
  I'd love to hear more about that, any more details or links to share?
  - fein 11y ago
    Took me a bit to find, but I tracked it down at the end of the day when I made that post: https://youtu.be/nMBwM32wTfs?t=22m35s https://youtu.be/nMBwM32wTfs?t=22m35s This is the Gunnit Live podcast from some of the mods and others that are regulars on /r/guns
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]

userbinator 11y ago

You are allowed to lock whatever else you want in these cases too. If enough people abuse this, I expect they'll start requiring those items to be firearm-related too.

pavel_lishin 11y ago
This is my firing-range laptop.

beagle3 11y ago

It improves the probability of you getting your stuff, of course, but it isn't an absolute guarantee - see, e.g. http://www.bbc.com/news/10536793 http://www.bbc.com/news/10536793