Guns As Luggage

jayhunt

I will be going to Utah from Florida in October for a mule deer hunt and I was wondering if anyone out there knows the rules for transporting rifles and pistols on airlines. I can imagine 9/11 has made it more difficult, but I just want to know if it is still OK by the airlines....it's long drive from Florida.
Thank You
Jay

aglore

jayhunt, my cousin from MI and his friend from FL were up here moose hunting when 9'11 happened. They flew home to their respective states without any problems. Needs to be packed in an airline approved hard case. No ammo in with the firearm. Take the bolt and put it in a different piece of luggage or in your carry on, that way if the rifle is stolen by some deviant airline employee it will be worthless to him. You will have to sign a certificate that says the firearm is unloaded and put it in the hard case with the firearm, so don't duct tape it shut until after you have checked it in as baggage. Buy a hard case that also allows you to put some sort of padlock on it.

AlleninAlaska aglore@gci.net

Free men are not equal and equal men are not free

muley

Jayhunt, listen to aglore. And, I would call the airline. I'm sure you'll find that if you check the rifle or shotgun through in a locked hard case, there is no problem. I don't know the policy on handguns. For some reason no one thinks of handguns and hunting in the same sentence. Only for killing or used in the same sentence with brandishing. Anyway, you need to declare that you are shipping a firearm as luggage at the time you purchase your tickets. Live ammo is another subject, however. I think each airline has different rules, but the one I use, won't even let me ship ammo in luggage. So, if you have some special reloads, you are probably S.O.L. Also, my airline insists on looking at the firearm to make sure it is unloaded when you check it through. Also, no curbside checking of firearms. A couple months ago, I took a shotgun to Arizona and had to unlock the case to demonstrate that it was unloaded. In anticipation of this, after locking it back up, I wrapped some 100 mph tape around the case and locks, just in case. One last tip....When you go to the check-in counter, be sure to watch your wording when you talk to the ticket person. Don't start by saying, "I've got a gun". Say something like, "I'm going to Utah on a hunting trip, and, as prearranged, I am checking my rifle through with my luggage." Anyway, this is the experience I've had with my particular airlines. BTW, I used to hunt in southeast Utah. Used to be lots of big muleys there. We used to jump off into Utah from Dove Creek, Col. Good luck.
muley

**I love the smell of Hoppes #9 in the morning**

idsman75

I've checked my shotgun as luggage many times. I always removed the barrel and threw on a trigger lock just to keep them happy but all this was pre-9/11. Checking a firearm always had special benefits for me. I would be at the end of a VERY long line and one of the people behind the counter would see me with a shotgun case in hand. They wanted to get it out of my hands ASAP so they took me to the very front of the line, inspected it, tagged the case and ensured the lock worked properly and had me on my merry way. Upon arrival at my destination there was an employee waiting for me at baggage with the shotgun case in hand.

lazywallrus

You shouldnt have any problems with a handgun either the rules are the same. There is actually less chance of a handgun being stolen, because you can put the handgun case inside your suitcase after they inspect it. as for the ammo you cannot take that on the plane, but you can ups it a week or two ahead of time......hope this helps .....lazy

bullelk

Lazy,
I flew down to Florida last March, and I asked about taking my handgun and ammo down. They told me no problem as long as the handgun was in a case and the ammo was separate, and was checked in with regular baggage.
In any event , it's always best to check with more than one person for the rules.
As far as the ammo goes, it would be just as cheap to buy some at your destination unless you're using handloads

jayhunt

Thanks for the great info fellas, that's why I love this place. I don't reload so I'll just hit the local WallyWorld when I get there. I won't be hunting with the handgun, but I would like to have it on me walking in unfamiliar territory. I don't have a seperate handgun case but I was thinking I could put it in with my rifle case. Any Problems with that??? Other than if someone rips me off, I lose everything...
Thanks Again,
Jay

muley

Jay.....You had my attention with this because I plan to fly to Arizona again soon and will be taking two shotguns. Anyway I went to America West's website to get their latest rules. The info I gave you above was good as far as it went. However, it appears that they now allow ammo in the luggage. Anyway, below is some additional stuff from their website. Hope this helps.
muley

Firearms

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America West will allow passengers to transport firearms in accordance with Federal Law. The following conditions must be met:

Items of shooting equipment will be accepted as checked baggage only.
A passenger who presents baggage containing a firearm must declare and demonstrate that the weapon is unloaded.
All firearms must be in a hard-sided container for transport and the container locked.
A Firearm Unloaded Declaration form must be signed and placed inside the bag or gun case.
Ammunition must be packed in the original manufacturing package or metal/wood box, with a maximum of 11 pounds per passenger.
The number of firearms is limited to
Not more than two rifles, with or without scopes, one shooting mat, noise suppressors, and small rifle tools or
Two shotguns and two shotgun cases or
One pistol case containing not more than five pistols; noise suppressors, one pistol telescope, and small pistol tools or
One bow and quiver of arrows and maintenance kit enclosed in a container of sufficient strength to protect the bow and quiver with arrows from damage.


**I love the smell of Hoppes #9 in the morning**

mbrook

I have traveled on a airplane with rifles since 9/11. You can take ammo as well. I was told that there is a limit on the ammount of ammo(I believe 40 shells) and I was also told that your ammo must be in the original manufacturers carton and packed seperately from the gun.

Except for the gasps from the girls soccer team that was checking in behind me when I had to open the case, everything went fine.

"When one responsibly procures his family's dinner by hand, each meal becomes a sacred rite. It is good, and so is the feast!" --Ted Nugent