Headed to Jackson Hole in August and I'd like to carry while there. A: protection since I'm the only one in the extended family with LTC and B: bears.

Yes I know a .357 is bare(no pun intended) for bears but it's at least something. Please let me know if that's actually ill-advised. Idk.

Anyhow, I have read the TSA page about flying with a gun but case guidelines are a little fuzzy still. Does hard sided mean metal? Is plastic ok? Do I need a padlock? Luggage style lock ok? Combination lock ok?

Help me hunter/shooter travelers?

Interested as well, specifically regarding ammo. Does ammo have to be with the gun or can it be in a suitcase full of clothes (but still in its box)?

A hard sided plastic case is OK. Ammo can be kept in the case and if I remember, last time I checked in the TSA agent recommended it. Get a TSA lock for the case (one that the TSA has a master lock for) because they can open it for inspection if they want to. You can buy them at WalMart or almost anywhere. After you declare the firearm, then put the case inside a suitcase - also recommended by the TSA agent.

Do not use a tsa lock on a firearms case. You are supposed to be the only one with a key.

If they need you to open it and inspect they can come get you.

Have flown with guns repeatedly and never been asked to open it for inspection.

McInnis said:

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A hard sided plastic case is OK. Ammo can be kept in the case and if I remember, last time I checked in the TSA agent recommended it. Get a TSA lock for the case (one that the TSA has a master lock for) because they can open it for inspection if they want to. You can buy them at WalMart or almost anywhere. After you declare the firearm, then put the case inside a suitcase - also recommended by the TSA agent.

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TSA lock is illegal to use despite what TSA's website says.

Federal law allows ammo in case but airlines can and are more restrictive. Have to check their firearms policies.

If it were me I wouldn't put TSA locks on your firearm case. If someone's opening my gun to look at it I want to be there. You are not required to use TSA locks on firearms.

Ammunition can be packed in a suitcase that you are checking as long as its in a suitable container such as the box it came in. Nothing related to a firearm can be in a carry on bag. Gun, Ammunition, Magazines, etc. Ammunition can be put in the same case as your gun, but doesn't have to. This is according to the TSA. Some airlines may have other rules that you have to follow specific to their airlines such as the amount of ammunition you can transport.

Many of the more experienced bear people on here have recommended bear spray as opposed to firearms for bear defense. I know your pistol also provides a people self defense aspect as well. Something to think about though.

edit: went to do a few things after typing this up and looks like most everything I said has been covered

Absolutely do not use TSA locks.

Only SNAFU I had was on the receiving end for my handgun. It came straight out on the regular luggage carousel in Seattle. Lucky that I saw it come right out, but would have made me nervous if it was spinning around unattended.

GMaster0 said:

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Only SNAFU I had was on the receiving end for my handgun. It came straight out on the regular luggage carousel in Seattle. Lucky that I saw it come right out, but would have made me nervous if it was spinning around unattended.

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If I'm flying with just a handgun, it always goes in a piece of luggage - even if I'm just flying somewhere for a day. Most pistols come out on the regular luggage carousel. I'm about 50/50 on whether a Pelican case ends up there or in the airline's baggage office.

On a related note Ive had them ziptie the zippers of luggage a handgun safe was in, so have a plan to get into your luggage at the other end of the trip.

BenderRodriguez said:

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Do not use a tsa lock on a firearms case. You are supposed to be the only one with a key.

If they need you to open it and inspect they can come get you.

Have flown with guns repeatedly and never been asked to open it for inspection.

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You are correct about not using a TSA lock. Also hard sided does not have to be metal, it just has to be a style that is completely secured by a lock, meaning some cases may require two locks.

Every time I've flown with a gun they had me open it at the ticket counter and insert a declaration that it's unloaded. Then you lock it in front of them and hand it over as checked luggage.

I'll still use a TSA lock. If they want to open the case they'll do it and don't count on them coming to find you. They'll break the lock and put a little tag on the case saying it was opened for inspection just like they'll do on your suitcase.

Just get a c an of bear spray when you get there. Carry where you can reach it.

You are giving bad advice. Please stop.

If Bender and txyaloo are both telling you not to use a TSA lock, then dude, don't use a TSA lock. These guys are two of the top firearm experts on this board and we are lucky to have them. They have forgotten more about their specific areas of expertise than many of us will ever know.

I've met Bender in person and he is a terrific human being. Had a defensive pistol lesson with him a few years ago that was outstanding. I have reached out to txyaloo in the past but he seems to prefer his "internet anonymity" a bit more. Anyway, just wanted to follow up and say listen to these guys and don't use a TSA lock. Plus be sure to read the specific rules for your airline.

You absolutely cannot use TSA locks. Also they cannot open it without you present you are not even allowed to give them the key. I raised hell in Kansas City when they wanted my key. I ended up on the phone with someone in DC. Turns out I was right. Legally they could put me in jail and ban me from flying for turning over the key. I should still have all the contact information.

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Have flown with guns repeatedly and never been asked to open it for inspection.

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We don't go to the same airports. I get asked to open my gun case more often than not everywhere except HOU. I think that's mainly because HOU's inspection area is away from the ticket counter. Had a friend get called back to open a case once there when he was already through security.

ATL always opens and swabs every gun case. LAS makes you stand there for 10 minutes and then usually asks you to go back and open it. IAD x-rays it right in front of you and asks for the key if needed.

I forget which airport (maybe RDU?) but they demanded our keys and said we can't go back with them to open it or watch the inspection because it's a secure area. There was a group of us including LEO's that argued that wasn't right. Didn't matter to them, they said we weren't getting the case on the plane if we didn't give them our keys.

Austin, Denver, Nashville, Amarillo, Dallas, Atlanta, others I cant think of off hand. Usually southwest, sometimes American or United.

The most I've ever had to do was open the case at the ticket counter for them to put a card into. Sometimes not even that much, never been called back for inspection.

Like everything else with air travel, sounds like inspection is hit or miss.

I almost always used to get "randomly" selected for extra screening before I got precheck though. I guess I'm more concerning than my gun case.

Either way, don't use TSA locks. And have a dedicated carry on bag that never gets guns/knives/ammo/etc stored in it so you don't wind up with an expensive "oh I forgot that was in there".

do the standard TSA rules apply for private charter flights?

HalifaxAg said:

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do the standard TSA rules apply for private charter flights?

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No, you usually walk right onto the AOA/to the aircraft.

lexofer said:

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I forget which airport (maybe RDU?) but they demanded our keys and said we can't go back with them to open it or watch the inspection because it's a secure area. There was a group of us including LEO's that argued that wasn't right. Didn't matter to them, they said we weren't getting the case on the plane if we didn't give them our keys.

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Your guns 100% got finger****ed and posted on snapchat to be cool.

Now that you have the gist of it above, check what the airline itself says on their website. Their corporate policies differ among carriers.

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You are correct about not using a TSA lock. Also hard sided does not have to be metal, it just has to be a style that is completely secured by a lock, meaning some cases may require two locks.

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As opposed to Bender, I've only flown once with a gun. I used a little cheap plastic case for a handgun that only had one lock.

I must have gotten an extremely gung-ho ticket agent, because he pried on the case and told me it wouldn't work, because he could have pried it open and removed the gun. I ended up buying a cheap lock on airport, drilling a secondary hole in the case, and closing it that way. That made the guy happy, but I was close to missing my flight.

BenderRodriguez said:

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On a related note Ive had them ziptie the zippers of luggage a handgun safe was in, so have a plan to get into your luggage at the other end of the trip.

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I do this on my own. Any gun cases get zipties on them through the lock holes. Just a little bit of extra security. I have TSA put them on after they've done their checks at airports that require that. I can imagine it'd be frustrating to have that happen to your normal luggage though!

One thing to note for the people championing TSA locks - it's not only illegal to use them on gun cases, but it's also extremely stupid. All of the TSA keys are readily available to download for use on 3d printers or to buy online. Why would anyone want to make it that easy for anyone to open their gun cases? I don't run crazy high security Abus locks on my cases, but at least every idiot working in the airport won't have quick access to steal things

We use these for handguns. Keep the ammo separate. Some airlines require ammo to be in the retail box AND be full. Most just say it can't be loose. Read up on the rules.



Also carried an index card stating that I am licensed to carry a firearm and that I have a firearm in my checked luggage. It's a discrete way to communicate that to the ticket agent if you're around a lot of folks.

dr_boogs said:

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If Bender and txyaloo are both telling you not to use a TSA lock, then dude, don't use a TSA lock. These guys are two of the top firearm experts on this board and we are lucky to have them. They have forgotten more about their specific areas of expertise than many of us will ever know.

I've met Bender in person and he is a terrific human being. Had a defensive pistol lesson with him a few years ago that was outstanding. I have reached out to txyaloo in the past but he seems to prefer his "internet anonymity" a bit more. Anyway, just wanted to follow up and say listen to these guys and don't use a TSA lock. Plus be sure to read the specific rules for your airline.

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Well I sure learned something today. I was giving advice based on my experience and what the TSA advises, or at least used to. What else can I say? I sure won't use them again.

This is what The TSA website has to say:

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Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only. As defined by 49 CFR 1540.5 a loaded firearm has a live round of ammunition, or any component thereof, in the chamber or cylinder or in a magazine inserted in the firearm. Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks.

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Yes they do state their brand is ok to use it completely goes against the previous sentence. Only the firearm owner should have access to the firearm. Using the TSA lock gives countless others access to your firearm without your knowledge. We all have seen the stories of TSA agents stealing from people, so don't risk losing a firearm to sticky fingers.

Satellite of Love said:

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We all have seen the stories of TSA agents stealing from people, so don't risk losing a firearm to sticky fingers.

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If you can't trust a low wage government employee, who can you trust?

https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-secrets-thefts-airports/story?id=17339513

Thanks all! Flying both American Airlines and United this go round. Looked up their regulations and all is pretty well in line with what has been shared here so far.

mpl35 said:

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Just get a can of bear spray when you get there. Carry where you can reach it.

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Just saying - Ursus would probably agree with me. Carry all you want but I'd get somebody in your group some bear spray too. Especially with that small a gun.

I prefer bullets for assaults and home invasions.

BenderRodriguez said:

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Do not use a tsa lock on a firearms case. You are supposed to be the only one with a key.

If they need you to open it and inspect they can come get you.

Have flown with guns repeatedly and never been asked to open it for inspection.

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I took my G48 with my on the RV trip we just took a couple of weeks ago, and I was asked to open it for inspection by both the AA gate agent (whom I explicitly told was NOT going to be handling my gun, but she decided it was unloaded when I showed her two empty "clips" - SMH) and by the TSA agent who rummaged through my bag and also declared she had to check it was unloaded, but was satisfied by the affidavit I signed at the ticket counter that was taped to the case.

You never know what the hell they are going to ask you to do, it just depends on the airport. They all seem to have different procedures.

We are flying Alaska Air to ANC and then traveling out and about from there. I'm having a guy cut me out a foam insert for a Pelican case with my gun, knife, and a box of ammo. I'll just keep it all in one box to keep it simple.

(This is a backup. First defense is bear spray we'll buy upon arrival.)

Todd 02 said:

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We use these for handguns. Keep the ammo separate. Some airlines require ammo to be in the retail box AND be full. Most just say it can't be loose. Read up on the rules.



Also carried an index card stating that I am licensed to carry a firearm and that I have a firearm in my checked luggage. It's a discrete way to communicate that to the ticket agent if you're around a lot of folks.

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That's a great idea, I hadn't thought of that.

BenderRodriguez said:

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On a related note Ive had them ziptie the zippers of luggage a handgun safe was in, so have a plan to get into your luggage at the other end of the trip.

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Here's something cool - I always keep a pretty solid trauma kit in my work backpack, and take that same bag as a carry-on when I fly. It has trauma shears in it, and TSA has *never* bugged me about it. If they ever zip tied my bag, I'd pull out those shears in the baggage office, cut them, and hand them back to the office employee just to be an ass.