8 ms·

Fun fact: there is exactly one situation in the United States in which you are required to fly with non-TSA approved locks on your luggage. That situation is wh

Fun fact: there is exactly one situation in the United States in which you are required to fly with non-TSA approved locks on your luggage. That situation is when there's a gun in your checked in bags. The easiest way to meet that requirement is with a flare gun. Some perfectly reasonable people that are concerned about theft and privacy will travel with a flare gun for no reason other than it lets them lock their luggage. The rules around flying are weird and full of perverse incentives that are easily hacked.

hprotagonist 7y ago
A flare gun, a burly lock, and a pelican case is a well known trio for travel for people like national geographic photographers. $40k worth of camera optics is worth it.
neilv 7y ago
Flying with a declared flare gun in your checked baggage photography gear cases was a trick I heard some professional photographers use. Reportedly, that activates some chain of custody-like procedures, including that it's unlikely to be lost, and that the case isn't opened at potentially arbitrary points of time by unknown workers in between (damage, theft).
- krapht 7y ago
  The very first Google hit on this says it is a poor idea. https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/34042190 https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/34042190
  - thomasmeeks 7y ago
    There's a reply to that comment that casts doubt on its accuracy. I'm not sure which is correct but felt worth pointing out.
  - hkchad 7y ago
    Pretty much everything in that article is the opposite of my numerous experiences. You goto ticket counter just like normal and declare the firearm, they look at it, stick a card in the outer bag and verify you have the only key. You also can travel with ammo as long as it's in 'original package'. Then after that it depends on the airport, some you just walk it over to tsa just like an oversized bag. All in all it takes about 10min extra. Very easy, never been hassled at all. Each airline has their own rules which are clearly spelled out on their websites. I've never tried sticking a bunch of camera gear in the pelican but it wouldn't be difficult, they just look in the box, at no time do they touch it so you can have whatever under it. Xray might pickup on it and they ask you to open, which is why you walk it over to them.
- kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
  I've traveled with a sword and tried to get a security screen but TSA wouldn't do it for me. I'm curious if a rifle bolt would be enough to get the added security.
  - rbritton 7y ago
    Legally, the lower receiver of a firearm is the piece that’s subject to background checks and other firearm-related laws. Presumably that’s all that would be technically needed.
    - CydeWeys 7y ago
      For purposes of ownership anyway, but not for purposes that the TSA likely cares about in keeping planes safe. Pretty much any recognizable gun part is going to get the gun treatment at the airport. Guarantee you couldn't just waltz through with a complete upper.
      - JetSpiegel 7y ago
        > TSA likely cares about in keeping planes safe I chuckled.
- i_am_proteus 7y ago
  Can confirm that this works with a real firearm. You need to put non-TSA locks on the case, and it's kept in custody of the airline at baggage claim (does not go on the carousel). You must provide ID to retrieve the case. I use a cheap 1911 frame. This is a 48.5-state solution; don't try it in Illinois or NYC.
  - RyJones 7y ago
    The custody bit is inconsistent at best.
  - asmithmd1 7y ago
    Do NOT fly into Massachusetts with a gun. To have a gun in MA you must have a MA gun license
    - romaaeterna 7y ago
      Mass non-residents don't need the license as long as it's unloaded and in a case. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gun-ownership-in-massachusetts#non-residents- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gun-ownership-in-massachus...
      - ryeights 7y ago
        >Non-residents with a valid Massachusetts non-resident hunting license do not need a firearm license to possess or carry rifles and shotguns and ammunition during the hunting season. >Non-residents do not need a firearms license to transport their firearms in or through the Commonwealth, provided the firearms are unloaded and enclosed in a case while traveling. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This seems to indicate that a MA firearms license is required if a. You are staying in MA b. You don’t have a MA hunting license and/or it is not hunting season.
        romaaeterna 7y ago
        It's worth looking up the law in question, instead of their description. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129C https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Cha... Here the exemption is for: > (h) Possession of rifles and shotguns and ammunition therefor by nonresidents traveling in or through the commonwealth, providing that any rifles or shotguns are unloaded and enclosed in a case; I'd think that it would be hard to argue that "traveling in or through" doesn't include staying in some sort of accommodations during your trip.
dpifke 7y ago
I'm pretty sure they closed this loophole, and banned them altogether: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/flare-guns https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/... Also, with regular firearms, they have to be in case specially designed for the firearm. You can't just lock it in your regular suitcase.
- yorwba 7y ago
  The guidelines for traveling with firearms only mention a "hard-sided container", so if your regular suitcase is sufficiently hard it should qualify. For ammunition, they do require a box specifically designed to carry it. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunit...
  - chiph 7y ago
    The question of whether the case or bag is secure enough will vary by the TSA inspector. I flew from Austin to SC and had no problems with the case leaving Texas, however the TSA agent on my return flight wouldn't accept it. I ended up mailing my pistol back to myself [0] The criteria seemed to be that the case or bag can't be pried open enough to dump any of the contents out (gun, magazine, ammo, etc). Which makes sense until you realize that a thief is just going to take the entire thing and open it when they get home... Experiments showed that even a Pelican brand case isn't sturdy enough to prevent this. The only one I've found that works are the cheap stamped steel pistol cases (with the easily picked wafer locks). You can't pry open a corner on them with just hand strength. [0] https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-frequently-asked-questions-unlicensed-persons#shipping-firearms-additional https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-frequently-asked-quest...
fortran77 7y ago
Yes...but. Be prepared to spend up to an hour extra at the airport to try to find the one person at the TSA who actually knows the rules and will OK everything. It took several hours for some folks to get out of McCarran (LAS) airport at DEFCON just last week. This isn't always the case, sometimes it's only a few minutes. But it does add some "unpredictability" to air travel.

hprotagonist 7y ago

A flare gun, a burly lock, and a pelican case is a well known trio for travel for people like national geographic photographers. $40k worth of camera optics is worth it.

neilv 7y ago

Flying with a declared flare gun in your checked baggage photography gear cases was a trick I heard some professional photographers use. Reportedly, that activates some chain of custody-like procedures, including that it's unlikely to be lost, and that the case isn't opened at potentially arbitrary points of time by unknown workers in between (damage, theft).

krapht 7y ago
The very first Google hit on this says it is a poor idea. https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/34042190 https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/34042190
- thomasmeeks 7y ago
  There's a reply to that comment that casts doubt on its accuracy. I'm not sure which is correct but felt worth pointing out.
- hkchad 7y ago
  Pretty much everything in that article is the opposite of my numerous experiences. You goto ticket counter just like normal and declare the firearm, they look at it, stick a card in the outer bag and verify you have the only key. You also can travel with ammo as long as it's in 'original package'. Then after that it depends on the airport, some you just walk it over to tsa just like an oversized bag. All in all it takes about 10min extra. Very easy, never been hassled at all. Each airline has their own rules which are clearly spelled out on their websites. I've never tried sticking a bunch of camera gear in the pelican but it wouldn't be difficult, they just look in the box, at no time do they touch it so you can have whatever under it. Xray might pickup on it and they ask you to open, which is why you walk it over to them.
kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
I've traveled with a sword and tried to get a security screen but TSA wouldn't do it for me. I'm curious if a rifle bolt would be enough to get the added security.
- rbritton 7y ago
  Legally, the lower receiver of a firearm is the piece that’s subject to background checks and other firearm-related laws. Presumably that’s all that would be technically needed.
  - CydeWeys 7y ago
    For purposes of ownership anyway, but not for purposes that the TSA likely cares about in keeping planes safe. Pretty much any recognizable gun part is going to get the gun treatment at the airport. Guarantee you couldn't just waltz through with a complete upper.
    - JetSpiegel 7y ago
      > TSA likely cares about in keeping planes safe I chuckled.
i_am_proteus 7y ago
Can confirm that this works with a real firearm. You need to put non-TSA locks on the case, and it's kept in custody of the airline at baggage claim (does not go on the carousel). You must provide ID to retrieve the case. I use a cheap 1911 frame. This is a 48.5-state solution; don't try it in Illinois or NYC.
- RyJones 7y ago
  The custody bit is inconsistent at best.
- asmithmd1 7y ago
  Do NOT fly into Massachusetts with a gun. To have a gun in MA you must have a MA gun license
  - romaaeterna 7y ago
    Mass non-residents don't need the license as long as it's unloaded and in a case. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gun-ownership-in-massachusetts#non-residents- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gun-ownership-in-massachus...
    - ryeights 7y ago
      >Non-residents with a valid Massachusetts non-resident hunting license do not need a firearm license to possess or carry rifles and shotguns and ammunition during the hunting season. >Non-residents do not need a firearms license to transport their firearms in or through the Commonwealth, provided the firearms are unloaded and enclosed in a case while traveling. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This seems to indicate that a MA firearms license is required if a. You are staying in MA b. You don’t have a MA hunting license and/or it is not hunting season.
      - romaaeterna 7y ago
        It's worth looking up the law in question, instead of their description. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section129C https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Cha... Here the exemption is for: > (h) Possession of rifles and shotguns and ammunition therefor by nonresidents traveling in or through the commonwealth, providing that any rifles or shotguns are unloaded and enclosed in a case; I'd think that it would be hard to argue that "traveling in or through" doesn't include staying in some sort of accommodations during your trip.

dpifke 7y ago

I'm pretty sure they closed this loophole, and banned them altogether: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/flare-guns https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/... Also, with regular firearms, they have to be in case specially designed for the firearm. You can't just lock it in your regular suitcase.

yorwba 7y ago
The guidelines for traveling with firearms only mention a "hard-sided container", so if your regular suitcase is sufficiently hard it should qualify. For ammunition, they do require a box specifically designed to carry it. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunit...
- chiph 7y ago
  The question of whether the case or bag is secure enough will vary by the TSA inspector. I flew from Austin to SC and had no problems with the case leaving Texas, however the TSA agent on my return flight wouldn't accept it. I ended up mailing my pistol back to myself [0] The criteria seemed to be that the case or bag can't be pried open enough to dump any of the contents out (gun, magazine, ammo, etc). Which makes sense until you realize that a thief is just going to take the entire thing and open it when they get home... Experiments showed that even a Pelican brand case isn't sturdy enough to prevent this. The only one I've found that works are the cheap stamped steel pistol cases (with the easily picked wafer locks). You can't pry open a corner on them with just hand strength. [0] https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-frequently-asked-questions-unlicensed-persons#shipping-firearms-additional https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-frequently-asked-quest...

fortran77 7y ago

Yes...but. Be prepared to spend up to an hour extra at the airport to try to find the one person at the TSA who actually knows the rules and will OK everything. It took several hours for some folks to get out of McCarran (LAS) airport at DEFCON just last week. This isn't always the case, sometimes it's only a few minutes. But it does add some "unpredictability" to air travel.