Trip Report - Traveling with my M&P 45 on JetBlue

[Phillip Gain]

It was that time of year. Time to take off for WV to see the family. Only this time was a little different. This would be my first time traveling by air with my handgun.

First, I checked with USACarry.com and with the Utah website. Yup...good to go, for both PA and WV. Our plan was to fly JetBlue from Boston to Pittsburgh on Dec 24, then rent a car from there to our destination. On Dec 30, we would go back exactly the same way we came in.

As required by law, I packed my M&P in a locked case (the factory box), along with 3 empty magazines. I packed the locked case in my checked bag. I packed 30 rounds of ammo in the factory boxes, and put those in another part of the same suitcase. Then I set off for Boston with my wife and little boy.

(Note: I had considered carrying as far as the parking facility, then unloading and boxing up there - but decided that the low risk of getting carjacked on the way to the airport wasn't worth the hassle of trying to discreetly disarm in a semi-public area.)

When we got to the airport, we decided it would be best to skip the self-check-in kiosk and go to the counter instead. I informed the JetBlue employee at the counter that I had a firearm to declare. He asked "Handgun or Long Gun?" I answered, and he gave me a Firearms Declaration tag that I was to sign and place in the box with the gun.

He then said "Excuse me for a moment; I need to go over to TSA and ask them something." He was back in just a couple of minutes. "Sorry about that. TSA changes their procedures all the time. I wasn't sure whether you needed to drop this bag with them for pre-screening, or whether I could just take it behind the counter. It's no problem, I can take it here."

On arrival in Pittsburgh, the bag appeared on the belt as usual, with no fuss. I collected it, opened it to verify the gun was still in it, and went on my way.

The week passed uneventfully. Holiday cheer with the family. Everyone was impressed that my son Cory is walking at 9 months. (He's been at it since 7.) My cousin Rachel (age 12) got a lesson in the 2nd Amendment. "No sweetie...police and soldiers are NOT the only ones allowed to carry guns..."

The 30th arrived. We said goodbye to family and headed for Pittsburgh International. Same procedure at check-in, gun locked in case, case and ammo in different parts of the checked bag. As before, the check-in agent had me sign a firearms declaration and put it in the case with the pistol. The only difference: In Pittsburgh, luggage containing declared firearms must be checked with TSA and pre-screened. Not a big deal, just a short walk down the concourse to check the bag separately.

I wondered how the arrival in Boston would go. Given the politics here, I expected to have to show an officer my LTC-A before claiming my luggage. (For those who don't know, you have to have an FID or LTC to even OWN a gun in Massachusetts. Both are "may issue" and if revoked, you have to sell or store your firearms...big pain..) Anyway - nothing like that happened. My luggage came out on the belt as usual.

All in all, traveling with my pistol was truly an easy and almost boring process. Nothing to be afraid of. Go forth armed, my friends!

[sherra]

I flew from Charlotte to Portland, Oregon and back in May with no issues with my Taurus 709 Slim. I can't remember which airline... Delta maybe.

[Keykutter]

Hey Phillip, you couldn't find a fight thru NY? :):)

Happy New Year!

KK

[walt629]

I fly all over the Eastern US and have never had a problem. But like you pointed out there seems to be a bit of a problem with TSA being consistent. Some airports require the bag to be checked in at the airline counted and moved by the owner to the TSA for screening. Others will do the same but the ticket agent must carry the bag to TSA and like you said, some airlines/TSA just let the bags go 'down the chute' with the rest of the bags.

Go figure! Inconsistency in the government agencies. Who would have thought!

[NavyLCDR]

I wondered how the arrival in Boston would go. Given the politics here, I expected to have to show an officer my LTC-A before claiming my luggage.

How would they know there was a firearm in your luggage? It's against Federal law for them to mark your luggage in any way that it contains a firearm.

[Phillip Gain]

Yes, it is against Federal law to mark the outside of your luggage in any way that indicates it contains a firearm. But for one to think this means the airlines do not know which bags contain firearms, one must be terribly naive.

When one checks luggage, bag tags are generated at the counter. Each tag has a unique number which is recorded in the passenger's reservation. Each tag also contains the passenger's name, along with 3-letter IATA codes indicating connect points and destination of the bag. Lastly, there is a bar code on the bag tag which associates the bag with your reservation.

When you check and declare a firearm, two things happen:

1) The signed firearms declaration tag goes into the gun case. This shows TSA that the airline is aware that the firearm is on board.

2) The bag tag is scanned, and the luggage is flagged in the computer reservation system as containing a firearm. A record is created in WorldTracer (a central luggage system subscribed to by just about all the airlines), and a mirror of this record is saved in your airline's computer reservation system as well.

It would NOT be difficult for Boston PD, or Mass State Police, to maintain a subscription to WorldTracer and be notified of passengers inbound with checked firearms. Or alternatively, I'm sure MassPort has such a subscription, and could/would cooperate with authorities if requested.

Once that happens - very small matter for one's luggage to be set aside in the luggage office after scanning, with a police officer waiting to check your FID/LTC before you can claim it...and arrest you if you don't have your FID/LTC on you.

Obviously this is NOT HAPPENING in Boston, but theoretically it COULD happen in any state which requires a license for ownership / possession.

Don't believe it? How many people have been arrested in Chicago, New York, and Newark when their flights got diverted there, while carrying firearms in their checked luggage? In some cases they got 'caught' when trying to check the firearm after a forced overnight stay. But in other cases, there were officers pretty much waiting on them when the plane landed.

(I tried to look up specific examples of the latter, but could not readily find them. My training counselor - a law professor - had some examples which we explored in my instructor courses.)

[NavyLCDR]

Riiiiiiight......And that completes conspiracy theory 101. Oh, but you are an instructor.

[localgirl]

Huh? What happened there? I'm not following...was there a conspiracy theory and I completely missed it?

[NavyLCDR]

Huh? What happened there? I'm not following...was there a conspiracy theory and I completely missed it?

Yes, right here:

But for one to think this means the airlines do not know which bags contain firearms, one must be terribly naive.

When you check and declare a firearm, two things happen:

1) The signed firearms declaration tag goes into the gun case. This shows TSA that the airline is aware that the firearm is on board.

2) The bag tag is scanned, and the luggage is flagged in the computer reservation system as containing a firearm.

It would NOT be difficult for Boston PD, or Mass State Police, to maintain a subscription to WorldTracer and be notified of passengers inbound with checked firearms. Or alternatively, I'm sure MassPort has such a subscription, and could/would cooperate with authorities if requested.

Once that happens - very small matter for one's luggage to be set aside in the luggage office after scanning, with a police officer waiting to check your FID/LTC before you can claim it...and arrest you if you don't have your FID/LTC on you.

(I tried to look up specific examples of the latter, but could not readily find them. My training counselor - a law professor - had some examples which we explored in my instructor courses.)

That's the conspiracy theory. No actual proof of anything happening that he says regarding "firearms flagging" by the airlines when checking in baggage. No examples of police swooping down on passengers at luggage carousels.

For the airline to tag a file in the computer system that the piece of luggage contains a firearm would still violate Federal regulations as it would be a means for employees to know which suitcases contained firearms, which is exactly what the law is attempting to prevent.

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/Federal/Read.aspx?id=70

Cases will not be labeled as containing firearms. That practice was outlawed almost 10 years ago. Federal law now states: "No common or contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag, or other written notice to be placed on the outside of any package, luggage, or other container that such package, luggage, or other container contains a firearm." [18 USC Sec. 922(e)] TSA will warn any airline that is marking cases that it is in violation of the law.

Obviously, the gun will show up on x-ray machines, which is why it is recommended to lock the slide back and keep magazines removed from the gun so that it is easy to see the gun is unloaded on x-ray. Also, the declaration tag shows up on x-ray - that's how TSA knows the firearm was declared - they can see the tag shaped image on the x-ray near to a locked case with a gun in it.

[Phillip Gain]

NavyLCDR - you're such a know-it-all.

As it happens, I spent 3 years working for a major airline at the check-in counter. I spent 11 more years working as a travel agent. This is stuff I know a LOT about. You can rest assured that if there is a firearm in the luggage, it is noted in your reservation.

Frankly, I'd appreciate it if you'd just stay off my posts. I'm sick of you.