Forgot to claim my handgun

[ti02]

Still haven't gotten the letter... No brown shirts rapes or cells or lawyers. Btw the gun was unloaded an wrapped in a cleaning cloth liked in a bulldog digital case with my sure fire an the ammo was loaded in magazines in a separate pelican case. I did get a phone call from a tSA guy though and he was very nice. He seemed more interested in trying to find out Why this was such a big deal and looking at the facts and statements and video footage (like this was a bank robbery or something) told me not to worry an just reply to the letter.

All in all I just want to keep a stack of those declaration cards with me an toss one in before I fly the night before.

[Firefighterchen]

I'm not so sure about that. I had 2 police officers and 6 TSA agents around me when they found a .40 SW round in the laptop sleeve in my back pack (a loose round from the last hike i went on). I surrendered the ammo, they filled out the paperwork, and it was over.

It was funny because I turned to my wife and said, "what do they think im going to do? throw the bullet at someone? The officer who made contact with me asked the same thing jokingly. The TSA agents thought the world was ending :-/ Never heard anything from them since.

Apples and oranges. There's a HUGE difference with regard to the way DHS handles cases where a firearm is involved versus ammunition in the absence of a firearm. That's pretty much all I can say on an open forum. I've seen the outcome of a couple of cases first hand.

I know the cases were different...my round was found during security, his firearm was found after checking in his luggage... but I still had 8 bodies appear because of 1 round. He had 6 people. That was the point I was making.

It looked like to me, not sure if every airport uses the same form, that they use the same form whether or not a firearm was involved...just another box to check.

[Glock Fan]

Still haven't gotten the letter... No brown shirts rapes or cells or lawyers. Btw the gun was unloaded an wrapped in a cleaning cloth liked in a bulldog digital case with my sure fire an the ammo was loaded in magazines in a separate pelican case. I did get a phone call from a tSA guy though and he was very nice. He seemed more interested in trying to find out Why this was such a big deal and looking at the facts and statements and video footage (like this was a bank robbery or something) told me not to worry an just reply to the letter.

All in all I just want to keep a stack of those declaration cards with me an toss one in before I fly the night before.

The airlines will provide you with the declaration card. When you check in, you must tell the person at the baggage counter that you want to check a "special item" or you have an "item to declare". They will then fill out their portion of the form, which usually has your flight information an the date of your flight. They will then keep a copy and another copy will be placed in the luggage with the firearm. NEVER let them affix the tag to the outside of the piece of luggage containing the firearm! Most of the airlines I've flown on will use a bright orange tag, approximately the same size as a luggage tag. There are two parts to the tag. Top portion is white and carbon treated. They fill in the top portion, you sign it, they take the top portion for their records, then the orange tag gets placed in your luggage.

Whatever you do, DO NOT walk up to the counter and say something like "I have guns in my bag." I've seen it happen, and it caused the traveler about an extra hour answering questions for various law enforcement authorities.

[Firefighterchen]

Whatever you do, DO NOT walk up to the counter and say something like "I have guns in my bag." I've seen it happen, and it caused the traveler about an extra hour answering questions for various law enforcement authorities.

Hmm...

Everytime I have traveled, I walked up to the counter and said, "I need to declare firearms for travel." Granted, that's not saying, "I have guns in my bag," but I dont beat around the bush about the "item" I am declaring. I haven't had any trouble with the counter people.

Maybe I missed your point.

[NightHawk]

Hmm...

Everytime I have traveled, I walked up to the counter and said, "I need to declare firearms for travel." Granted, that's not saying, "I have guns in my bag," but I dont beat around the bush about the "item" I am declaring. I haven't had any trouble with the counter people.

Maybe I missed your point.

This is the same for me, every time. I always say something like, "I need to declare a firearm" and they take it from there. It is always very routine, sometimes TSA takes the bag away, but mostly they just run it through the regular baggage check station.
On the first time I ever declared, the agent said Okay, then looked at me kind of funny and said (in an almost knowing voice) "Oh!" I pointed to my checked bag and she acted normal from there on. I had the feeling at first that she thought I was an Air Marshal and was carrying the firearm on my person, but she seemed ready to just go through whatever procedure they might have for that. I found it interesting, but may have misread it completely.
I have a question for anyone who might have experience with a firearm going through Reagan International (DCA) in DC. I am going to Virginia where I can carry, but will fly into DCA. I've heard horror stories about TSA calling the police when people declare in New York and then they get arrested for an illegal gun. They get cleared in a day or two, but they go through the hassle of a day or so in jail and when they try to recover their firearm the police say no and just keep it. You could fight it but it would cost more than the price of the firearm.
Has anyone heard if DCA ever does anything like that?
Nuff said,
Hawk

[Daniel Stein]

Hmmmm... I'm going somewhere... On an airplane... I'm taking my gun... I've made the effort to secure it in a Bulldog gun vault... The ammunition is separate and I've gently wrapped my shiny gun in a cloth...

And it slips your mind that you've got a freakin' gun in your luggage?!? Seriously? Really? No kidding? Like, for real?

Dude...really... *shakes head, sighs, facepalm*

Do you forget to put on underwear (if u don't prefer commando like myself) when you hop out the shower?? No..you do it without thinking and possibly without looking every day no sweat. For the guy who's literally always carrying in some way or another, it's not surprising at all to go through the proper "procedures" to legitimize your firearm for travel, and then completely forget that you had it. Rush rush rush when you're at the airport, believe me I know. So don't be surprised when it one day happens to you..if you even CC 24/7..it happens. Run ins with law enforcement that don't appriciate your 2nd..accidentally walking into the post office with your CCW unknowingly in your waist band..shiz happens! C'mon give this American hero a break :thumbdown:

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[walknotinfear]

You will have a small chance you will be issued a fine from TSA. The uniformed airport police showing up was just routine for them for this kind of call. The TSA guy was most likely a TSA regulatory person just to document the incident or maybe a supervisor TSA (screener) officer. The one thing that gets my blood boiling is how TSA acts when some person makes a mistake.

(funny true story, years back I walked up to the TSA screener and I tell him I am a LEO flying armed, he gets on his radio and calls the airport police, he smiles at me and says he is now like me. I ask him what did he mean? He stated that they are no longer screeners and are now federal officers. I look at my partner that was flying with me and we laugh. I look at him and ask him to show me his his gun and badge or credentials. He looks puzzled. My partner at the time says to him, you are nothing like us. It made my day.)