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I took a pistol and a rifle on vacation to Phoenix AZ. The rifle was in a rifle case. The pistol was in a pistol case. The pistol case was inside my regular luggage.

When I went to the ticket counter at Continental Airlines, I told the ticketing agent that I need to declare two firearms. She was inexperienced with the firearms procedure and quietly told a superior ticketing agent. The superior nodded at me and said, "I'll be with you as soon as I'm finished here." She was helping a family of four with travel adjustments. I stood quietly and waited for her to finish.

The traveling crowd was not heavy in number this day, but there were enough travelers so that all of the ticket lines were busy. As I was waiting, another ticketing agent came into the area. The superior agent called him by name and said, "Help me out please. That man has a weapon." The statement was loud enough for everyone to hear.
A strange quiet settled over the long ticket counter, as other travelers stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I smiled as the ticketing agent gave me the declaration cards to sign. Then we left the ticket counter, and went to an area to inspect my luggage. The other travelers were still gawking. Must be foreigners.

On the return trip from Phoenix, there was no inspection of my luggage. The Phoenix ticketing agent gave me the forms and asked me to put them into the my bags. He said that if TSA needed to inspect the bags, they would call for me at the departure gate. While I was putting my the forms into my gun cases, a young man was in line behind me. I happened to notice the expression on his face as he saw my AR-15. His eyes were big as the number 9 circle on a target. Must be a foreigner.

I concluded my business and made my way through security. After purchasing a few snacks, I found a seat at my departure gate and started to watch football on a nearby television screen. That's when my Spidey-sense began tingling, and I got the feeling I was being watched. I looked to my left to see the young man who was in line behind me at the ticket counter. By a stroke of coincidence he was sitting nearby and watching me with the same number 9 eyes. If had said, "Boo!" he might have jumped out of his seat.

Time came to board the plane. As I got in line to board, I saw the ticketing agent who had checked me in. He was standing by the gate, apparently greeting passengers. I thought his presence was more than coincidental. I nodded at him as I walked past.

I arrived at Houston IAH and stood at the baggage carousel, waiting for my bags. My suitcase with my pistol appeared, but my rifle case did not show. I waited until the carousel shut itself down. My rifle case wasn't there.

I went to see a Continental Airlines baggage agent. She checked her computer system and verified that my rifle made the trip. She said that firearms are usually taken to the baggage office as soon as they arrive.

I went to the baggage office and signed in. An office baggage agent offered assistance. I explained the situation with my missing rifle case. She said, "Come to my desk and we'll take a look."

On the way to her desk, I sighted my rifle case, sitting beside someone's desk. "That's it," I said. She checked my baggage receipt and said, "That was easy."
I took my rifle case and departed, wondering why my pistol luggage wasn't taken to the baggage office when it first arrived.

This was the quirkiest gun gun trip I've had.

Good story,

What did you do with your rifle in AZ?

LittleGun wrote: ... and said, "Help me out please. That man has a weapon." The statement was loud enough for everyone to hear.
A strange quiet settled over the long ticket counter, as other travelers stopped what they were doing and looked at me. .... Must be foreigners...

Heh. One time I was in line to check in at the San Antonio airport. Don't remember which airline. I could see that there were at least nine firearms besides mine being checked, because people around me were carrying longarms in cases. Who knows how many pistols in baggage.

In Arizona, I went shooting with some friends. We were trying to best each other in precison shooting. I went to the Ben Avery Shooting Range for the first time. I like that range.

It amazes me that some people feel that legal permit holders are the criminals for having a firearm but feel it is okay or not even an issue for a real criminal to have a weapon. At least that is what it feels like. And don't get me started about a liberal weenie that came to our home for a party and almost had a fit because I had an antique rifle safely mounted on the wall.

Westfield wrote:It amazes me that some people feel that legal permit holders are the criminals for having a firearm but feel it is okay or not even an issue for a real criminal to have a weapon. At least that is what it feels like. And don't get me started about a liberal weenie that came to our home for a party and almost had a fit because I had an antique rifle safely mounted on the wall.

Did you invite him to leave? I can think of several pithy remarks, none of which would have been popular with a liberal.
I actually enjoy picking on people like that. I usually end up like this:

Liberal weenies drive me insane. I absolutely hate those experiences, because they start asking you lots of questions, and there is a part of you that wants to answer them in hopes they might learn something, and then there is that part of you that knows they are just asking rhetorical questions to make you look like an idiot in their mind. I have just gotten to the point when that happens I change the subject. Its like come on dude a firearm is not a moral and ethical dilemna for me and it really stinks for you that your all torn up inside over it, but leave me alone!

I recently flew with my pistol and basically realized nobody that works for the airlines or TSA really has a clue what they are supposed to do.

The OP indicates that they at least took him to a private area to inspect the weapons & forms. When I flew back from Miami, I brought a pistol back with me (gift from my brother whom I was visiting). I did the paperwork at the counter, they took the bag, and then said that was all.

As I walked away from the counter, I got about 50 steps away, and I could hear someone calling out my last name.. I stopped, turned, and looked back to see one of the ticketing agents running towards me with my bag in their hand.. Once they reached me, they said "we have to inspect the weapon" (rather loudly). Well, this drew a crowd. So, right there in the middle of the airport, on the tile/stone floor, in front of everyone, I had to open my bags, unlock the locked pistol case, and remove the weapon. At that point, the employee wanted to see that the gun was unloaded. I had the magazine out and stored beside the gun, and the slide locked back. It was VERY odd handling a pistol with people standing all around me gawking.. After the employee looked at it, he said "okay, lock it back up". I re-packed everything, and he picked up the bag and walked off. Pistol did arrive safely in Houston and I had no problems on the Houston end at all.

It was a strange event.. I agree that there does not seem to be any uniformity in training on how to check & handle weapons. I would have much preferred to have been escorted to a private room to display the weapon.

It is interesting that gun-checking procedure not consistent within a single airline. At Houston I got a private inspection. At Phoenix, I got no inspection.

LittleGun wrote:It is interesting that gun-checking procedure not consistent within a single airline. At Houston I got a private inspection. At Phoenix, I got no inspection.

It can get more interesting overseas.

Some years ago I was coming back from Africa by way of Frankfurt. In Frankfurt, there was some sort of terrorist scare on, so they wanted to inspect my rifle; this was done on the tarmac at the departure gate, under the belly of the 747. The security agent hadn't seen a composite-stocked rifle before, so he asked if he could look through the 'scope . . . I agreed, and he did so, pointing the rifle at the other aircraft, the control tower, the baggage trains . . . after we spoke for a bit, I repacked the gun, we shook hands, and he promised to personally put it on the aircraft. (He did - gun arrived back home safely.)

But as I was about to climb back up the stairs to the gate, I noticed about 50 people, noses pressed against the windows, staring at us. I got quite a few looks when I sat down, but one little old lady approached and said "Are you going to be on Flight XXX?"

I allowed as I was . . . so she grasped my arm and said "I'll fell a lot safer with you on board!"

I didn't have the heart to tell her I was just a passenger, not an air marshall. (And it dawned on me . . . if there WAS a terrorist on board, I'd be his #1 target! )

The Frankfurt airport story is a good one. I've never been mistaken for an Air Marshal. I'm glad nothing happened on your flight. That little old lady might have jumped into your lap, looking for protection.

I have been mistaken for a police officer. The ticketing agent asked me if I was taking my firearm on board. I was thoroughly confused by the question until I realized that she had given me the wrong declaration form.

I can never figure the procedure for taking a firearm on an airplane. As I understand it, the official position for a long gun is:

• Take gun to ticket counter in unlocked, hard-sided, lockable rifle case.
• Inform ticket agent that you are checking a firearm.
• If requested (always are in my experience), remove firearm and show that it is unloaded.
• Place firearm back in case, lock case, and give to luggage checking people.

Weird part about this is if someone wanted to shoot up an airport, this is the perfect procedure for them. Walk in with a hard-side, lockable gun case with loaded firearm and when asked to pull it out and show it's empty, pull it out and empty it. Has no one thought about this and figured maybe they should change the procedure? Or am I crazy?

p.s. what am I doing wrong on the list thing?

SlowDave wrote:I can never figure the procedure for taking a firearm on an airplane. As I understand it, the official position for a long gun is:

• Take gun to ticket counter in unlocked, hard-sided, lockable rifle case.
• Inform ticket agent that you are checking a firearm.
• If requested (always are in my experience), remove firearm and show that it is unloaded.
• Place firearm back in case, lock case, and give to luggage checking people.

Weird part about this is if someone wanted to shoot up an airport, this is the perfect procedure for them. Walk in with a hard-side, lockable gun case with loaded firearm and when asked to pull it out and show it's empty, pull it out and empty it. Has no one thought about this and figured maybe they should change the procedure? Or am I crazy?

p.s. what am I doing wrong on the list thing?

The details of the list look right to me. But it is easier to just walk into the airport and start shooting than go up to the counter. It is all unsecured anyway. I think that this is done rarely (only one I can think of) because it just doesn't get a high enough body count or scare people enough. I think Americans are immune enough to shootings like this that it really doesn't produce the terror response any more.

I think what you did wrong on the list is put the equals sign in the first bracket. This is how it looks with just the list command in the brackets:

• Take gun to ticket counter in unlocked, hard-sided, lockable rifle case.
• Inform ticket agent that you are checking a firearm.
• If requested (always are in my experience), remove firearm and show that it is unloaded.
• Place firearm back in case, lock case, and give to luggage checking people.