Anyone ever had airline lose a gun?!

[TxAP21]

I've had all the different airlines lose just about everything else, but never a gun.
Sometimes they come out on the carousel and other times I've have to pick it up elsewhere (this isn't for Alaska specifically, just general experience).

 

[Bendejo]

Flew southwest out of OAK about 5 years ago. Went to counter with checked bags, declared firearm (pistol in small pelican case inside larger checked bag) , and attendant asked for my gun key so she could bring it into back room for inspection without me present.
I inforned her that was not correct procedure, and asked for a manager, who corrected her on the spot. As I began on my way, I noticed the baggage claim ticket had been dropped on the floor behind the ticket counter instead of stapled to my ticket/paperwork. When I asked the attendant, I got a flippant remark as she handed me the claim ticket.
Filed a complaint.
Shady af.

Sent from my couch

 

[PRC_GUY]

Ask Randy Oldberg, the airline misplaced his gun once!

 

[Fatcamp]

I came across this randomly on YouTube a while back, but check out a channel by the name of Lockpicking Lawyer. The vast majority of padlocks can be opened in about 3 seconds with a couple of common tools sold online. And this channel has millions and millions of people watching. Locks are just a suggestion for honest people to stay out. Not really a security measure, TSA approved or not. Just FYI.

Here are some better options. 4 of some of those are gonna take a bit.

 

[Fatcamp]

Yeah I get what you're saying, but don't believe it will be treated differently. Lock up your bow case and it's all the same to the folks behind the scenes. The people loading/handling the luggage have no idea and no one will know whether or not a pistol is in there.

Ours have gone through a different chain of custody. I'm sure behind the scenes it's different too.

 

[def90]

I see your point but, when you check it in you will have to open the hard case for them to inspect it so just ship it as a bow. If it gets lost, wink, wink, you will only be out a bow, not a bow and gun or what ever.

He is saying that you put the handgun in it and check it as a gun so that it goes through the same handling procedures and chain of custody as a gun, thus it doesn’t get lost.

 

[fwafwow]

LOL. That link specifically states only the passenger should have access.

I got into an argument in Charleston SC about this when TSA asked for the keys to my non-TSA locks so they could inspect my SKB with my declared rifle. I said “I have to be present and I’m not supposed to give you these keys.” The TSA agent said “the TSA area is secured and you can’t come back with me, but I have to check your case back there. You can stick with the TSA rule your reading and not fly with your firearm, or give me your keys and fly with it. Your choice.” Same thing happened in Omaha when I had non-TSA locks with a combination. I flew both times.

I heard the rule was changed recently to permit the use of TSA locks, which if true, may be due in part to these situations. I will still not use TSA locks.

 

[fwafwow]

Be careful with ANY parts in carry-on. A member on here carried on his bolt and got it seized, talked his way out of arrest, and lost his TSA-Pre status

That was me. I got my bolt back eventually (only because of a friend of a relative is in Federal LE), and I was able to appeal my TSA-pre suspension from six months to 3. And this happened in CHS.

 

[Fatcamp]

I got into an argument in Charleston SC about this when TSA asked for the keys to my non-TSA locks so they could inspect my SKB with my declared rifle. I said “I have to be present and I’m not supposed to give you these keys.” The TSA agent said “the TSA area is secured and you can’t come back with me, but I have to check your case back there. You can stick with the TSA rule your reading and not fly with your firearm, or give me your keys and fly with it. Your choice.” Same thing happened in Omaha when I had non-TSA locks with a combination. I flew both times.

I heard the rule was changed recently to permit the use of TSA locks, which if true, may be due in part to these situations. I will still not use TSA locks.

Did you have the regulations printed and ask to see a supervisor? Did you file a complaint?

I hear some places are just outwardly hostile to those transporting firearms.

 

[fwafwow]

Did you have the regulations printed and ask to see a supervisor? Did you file a complaint?

I hear some places are just outwardly hostile to those transporting firearms.

I didn't have the regulations printed, but I had the website on my phone. The TSA agent I was speaking to was the supervisor and she came out to talk to me after I refused to give my keys to the Delta agent and the front line TSA agent. She said she is aware of the rule, but she said that not every airport is built in a way that permits the rule to be consistent with their obligation to inspect the firearm and the requirement that a certain part of the TSA area has to be secure. She was empathetic, promised to do the inspection herself and to return the keys to me. It took her less than 10 minutes. I didn't think of filing a complaint then, and I don't see it differently now.

One good rule about flying with firearms (or even just a bow) is to do your research and be prepared for surprises, especially due to human interpretation of rules. I've had people tell me my SKB was "secure" with just two locks on it because they tried to pry it open and couldn't reach a hand inside (that was their "test"). I've had another agent tell me I needed a lock on every spot that permits a lock - so now I use six locks. I've also had locks torn off, either cut by humans or caught in the conveyer equipment (who knows). And finally, I've had my SKB case with just a bow in it be treated like a firearm at the destination (meaning I had to show ID etc. to get it from them.

 

[Fatcamp]

I didn't have the regulations printed, but I had the website on my phone. The TSA agent I was speaking to was the supervisor and she came out to talk to me after I refused to give my keys to the Delta agent and the front line TSA agent. She said she is aware of the rule, but she said that not every airport is built in a way that permits the rule to be consistent with their obligation to inspect the firearm and the requirement that a certain part of the TSA area has to be secure. She was empathetic, promised to do the inspection herself and to return the keys to me. It took her less than 10 minutes. I didn't think of filing a complaint then, and I don't see it differently now.

One good rule about flying with firearms (or even just a bow) is to do your research and be prepared for surprises, especially due to human interpretation of rules. I've had people tell me my SKB was "secure" with just two locks on it because they tried to pry it open and couldn't reach a hand inside (that was their "test"). I've had another agent tell me I needed a lock on every spot that permits a lock - so now I use six locks. I've also had locks torn off, either cut by humans or caught in the conveyer equipment (who knows). And finally, I've had my SKB case with just a bow in it be treated like a firearm at the destination (meaning I had to show ID etc. to get it from them.

Interesting. If it was you breaking the rules it would be a huge deal.

Yes, all spots for locks need one attached was how I understood it.

 

[Shoalwater]

I really like the Apple AirTag idea, definitely going to do this inside my Pelican. Would be helpful for traveling with in the truck, since that’s where most firearms are stolen from.

 

[kit_man_duu]

I travel with my bow and always put a handgun in the case so I can declare a firearm and keep the case properly locked. Prior to this I had TSA steal a range finder from my bow case. This year I started putting an Apple Air Tag in the case so now I can track my luggage on my phone.

That is an awesome idea.

 

[Grady]

I've flown several times with a pistol or rifle or both. Only had my pelican flagged and searched once when I was flying out of PHX. As a precaution I always printed the firearms rules on TSA's website and included them in my case. I did watch my old cheapo Plano bow case get tossed like a sack of potatoes onto a conveyor. When I recienced it it had 3 spots it was broken and had a lock hole broken. Learned my lesson and bought a good case the next year. Also learned with some airlines if you have damaged luggage there's only a certain amount of hours you have to claim it's damaged and can't have left the airport (pretty sure that was jetblues rule). They just plan on you being sick of traveling and being in a airport to deal with them, but I think they still gave me 50$ for my case after I sent photos.

 

[Racer00]

I had my rifles and luggage come up missing on a return trip from hunting in Montana about 25 years ago. (I realize things were much different then.) I live about 45 minutes from the airport and had to go home without my gear. I was sweating bullets until a delivery van showed up in the drive the next day with all my stuff. No damage, nothing missing. Just some added gray hair for me.
I don't fly a lot with firearms, but have had good luck since then.

 

[ND_Hooligan]

My daughter is a competitive precision rifle shooter so we travel across the country several times a year. We have never had a rifle not show up at our destination but have had our issues. Most gate agents require us to put a lock on every port on the rifle case. (in our case it is 4). We have actually been told more than once that they wouldn't check the rifle if there was an open spot for a lock. This probably is up to an opinion but we seem to get the agents who like 4 locks. We also use TSA locks, even though they are not as tamper proof, because the first time we flew without TSA locks they had to track us down at the gate, made us return to TSA so TSA could further inspect the firearm, had to go back through the security checkpoint, and we almost missed our flight. Figure it's just not worth the hassle as if somebody wants access to the case they will get access no matter which lock is on it. Ironically, the last 2 time we flew, our rifle case came out missing 1 lock and 2 locks respectively. Pisses me off as those things cost $12 and TSA won't do a thing about it.

As far as retrieving the case at our final destination we have had a couple of issues there as well. Once, in Atlanta of all places, they didn't have the rifle at the oversized luggage room and didn't know where it was. After several minutes of looking it was sitting just off of the conveyer belt next to an exit door with no agent in site. Almost gave us a heart attack. Another time in Fargo, it came out on the conveyer with the regular luggage. I proceeded to give the airline a long ass-chewing but know it didn't do any good.

Finally, our worst experience was in Chicago at O'Hare. We had missed a connection due to maintenance and had to spend the night in Chicago to get another connection to our final destination. We got to the airport first thing in the morning and the agent checked us in normally, after which we headed back to TSA for them to inspect the rifle. The "nice" lady insisted that she take the rifle case from my daughter and hand it to TSA herself. It was at this point that the agent literally dropped our case from her hip level to the concrete floor, it was obviously intentional, and told the TSA agent to inspect it. I all but lost it but had to keep my temper under control as we needed to board that flight as we were already a day late and couldn't miss the competition. I yelled to her about the $11,000 worth of rifles she just dropped and she walked away without a care in the world.

Overall our experiences have been good but like anything else when flying, you never know what to expect.

 

[Huntnway]

Good thread with lots of good info. Just flew with my first checked firearm to Kodiak. They got all but one of our bags before they got us back. We ended up all over Alaska but the guns went straight back and were waiting for us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChrisS]

One thing that is guaranteed is that nothing is guaranteed. Every airport and person will be different. I flew to Idaho for a trip this fall with a double SKB case and masterlocks. I used some miles to upgrade to first class so that I could take advantage of the extra baggage and priority stickers. While waiting in line for the 1st class counter, I noticed the woman in front of me was rebooking a flight and taking forever. I should have paid more attention. When it came to be my turn, the check-in agent at my origination airport said that I had to give her the key and she had to take the case behind the counter to the TSA area where they would inspect. I argued a bit, but she said I couldn't go back there. She made me open the case right there at the check-in counter, put a firearms declaration in there and close it up and relock it. She took it back to the TSA agent, and brought it back out almost immediately and he had told her if she had already inspected it, he didn't need to. This all confused me and I just took the baggage claim stickers, waved good-bye to $5k+ worth of gear, optics, and my rifle, and boarded my flight.

I get to BOI and there were a dozen or so active duty troops with me on the plane they were picking up the exact same rifle case as I had at the baggage claim. I waited for my luggage and rifle case ... nothing. I asked the luggage claim agent, she said everything from the plane was unloaded. She asked for my luggage claim tags and that's when I noticed what had happened. The woman in front of me didn't check luggage, but they had printed luggage tags for her and put them on my bags and sent them to (maybe SFO). Here's where it gets fun. Because she didn't check bags, there was no passenger to assign the tags to when they scan them onto the plane. Because my tags were never used, there was nothing assigned to me in the system, so it was showing my bags still at my origin. They were essentially free-floating in the system. I filed a report, and gave them descriptions.

Fortunately, I put my name and phone number on the outside of my rifle case. GOod idea, bad idea, I don't know (it has it's pros and cons), but I got a call the next day from the SFO baggage office and they had my case. He said he could get it on the next flight to BOI that afternoon, but I would either have to send them my key to the locks, or they would have to cut them so the TSA could inspect it. I thought this kind of defeated the whole idea of no one opening the case except me, but I wanted my gear. I told them to clip the locks and they replaced them with TSA combination locks and sent me my stuff.

Nothing was consistent. SFO thanked me for putting my name and phone number on the case (the active duty troops all had their names on their cases as well). I don't know if I would have recovered my rifle in time to hunt otherwise. There are TSA approved locks, TSA recognized locks, and TSA accessible locks (i.e., they have a master key for them). They are all different.

Do things as best you can and be prepared for things to not be consistent between airports and even individuals at those airports.

 

[WCB]

I have never had an issue traveling within the states or outside the U.S. When leaving Minneapolis every time I check my firearm at the counter in front of everyone. The case remains unlocked and a TSA or airline employee accompanies me to the TSA inspection point. I walk in the room with them. seconds before it goes on the conveyer to be scanned they have me put MY locks (not TSA locks on it) and let me watch it go through. Then I go to my plane. 1 time my case got flagged as I watched it go through they brought the case over and had me unlock it for them and then step back.

Had my firearm "lost" 1 time went to see where it was at the oversized luggage pickup. Asked me my information and the moment I told them it was a firearm and handed them my luggage info they were on it. got on wrong flight but was at my door less than 24hrs later.

I see no harm placing a firearm in with it and declaring it as a firearm.

 

[william schmaltz]

I've done exactly what you're describing a bunch of times. I used to fly a couple times a week for work and there are a couple airlines within AK that are notorious for loading up with cargo having bags arrive days late. So I just started checking a pistol in each of my check on bags so they have to fly with me. There were several times when I was the only person that would have my bags arrive.

The only time it didn't work out was in 2015 when Obama decided to visit Dillingham the first week of September and screwed everything up. The flight was full of hunters and all our rifle cases arrived, but no one's other bags arrived; including my two bags with pistols. I threw a fit at the ticket counter and I had my two bags later that afternoon while I was told others waited up to two days for their bags.

As far as locks go, I have four places my case can be locked. I carry four non-TSA locks and put two on my case. The other two open spots I put zip ties that are unique (usually color a white zip tie with a sharpie). That was I know if my case has been opened after I seal it. I typically fly within AK or out of ND so take it FWIW, I've never had to deal with big liberal cities.