Don't know if this is a good or a bad idea but worth a look
http://lifehacker.com/5448014/pack-a-gun-to-protect-valuables-from-airline-theft-or-loss
http://lifehacker.com/5448014/pack-a-gun-to-protect-valuables-from-airline-theft-or-loss
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Protecting your bags while traviling
- Thread starter micko
- Start date
It SEEMS like a good idea..you'd just have to watch out for regulations and laws on the other side. The $15 starter pistol he mentions would be peachy if you didn't want to throw something with actual value in there...
I have flown with guns often in the past as a competitive shooter. I was unaware that you could still carry firearms in checked baggage. Unfortunately, it is a real bad idea under current practices.
In the "good old days" you would declare your firearm at the check in counter, it would be inspected to ascertain that it was not loaded, you would fill out a form and the firearm (pistol in my case) would be placed, along with the form, in your luggage.
The problems started when some idiot printed the "form" on a bright orange tag to be attached to the outside of the bag. This alerted baggage handlers to the presence of a valuable item. A friend of mine lost several custom guns somewhere between Orlando FL and Boston MA via this method.
Baggage theft is a big industry controlled by organized crime. A supervisor, Susan Taraskowitz, for a major airline at Logan who attempted to crack down on this practice was murdered for her efforts. To the best of my knowledge, her killer was never found.
The only protection your valuables, particularly fireams, have in transit is anonimity. If you are forced to ID them with a tag on your luggage, you are screwed. Your best option is to ship these items via another carrier.
In the "good old days" you would declare your firearm at the check in counter, it would be inspected to ascertain that it was not loaded, you would fill out a form and the firearm (pistol in my case) would be placed, along with the form, in your luggage.
The problems started when some idiot printed the "form" on a bright orange tag to be attached to the outside of the bag. This alerted baggage handlers to the presence of a valuable item. A friend of mine lost several custom guns somewhere between Orlando FL and Boston MA via this method.
Baggage theft is a big industry controlled by organized crime. A supervisor, Susan Taraskowitz, for a major airline at Logan who attempted to crack down on this practice was murdered for her efforts. To the best of my knowledge, her killer was never found.
The only protection your valuables, particularly fireams, have in transit is anonimity. If you are forced to ID them with a tag on your luggage, you are screwed. Your best option is to ship these items via another carrier.
KBCraig
NES Member
The only way guns are secure in luggage is because they don't know which bags have guns. The idea is completely wrong in its premise: bags with guns don't get any special tracking or handling once they leave the check-in counter.
Under TSA rules, they are not allowed to put the form on the outside of the bag. It goes inside the bag.
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The only big difference is that (a) At some airports, you get an in-person inspection rather than it happening the bowels of the airport [for example, Boston]. The other one is that if you use your own non-trivial lock, baggage handlers can't open your luggage and grab small items of value - and it's a lot harder for a handler to walk off with a locked suitcase than it is with a gun or GPS under their coat. BUT, you are allowed to use non-TSA locks on your luggage - even if you don't have a gun in it. If TSA needs access, you will be paged to provide the combo or key if the lock is too big for them to cut off. If you use locks that can be cut off, keep an extra set in your bag with a big note - "TSA - please use these to re-lock luggage". Regulations do not allow baggage with a firearm to be loaded if it is not locked, which is a problem if TSA cuts off your locks.
I used to use a separate Pelican gun case but, with the new per-bag fees, I have to fit it all in a regular suitcase. I use stranded metal cable to lock the guns to the inside of the luggage so I can use low security locks for TSA, but baggage handlers can't easily pluck a gun from the case. Even if they drop my suitcase so far it pops open, my guns will stay attached.
I used to use a separate Pelican gun case but, with the new per-bag fees, I have to fit it all in a regular suitcase. I use stranded metal cable to lock the guns to the inside of the luggage so I can use low security locks for TSA, but baggage handlers can't easily pluck a gun from the case. Even if they drop my suitcase so far it pops open, my guns will stay attached.
Chris
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I use one of these:
Inside the luggage. The case has two key and one combo lock on it. I then cable the handle to the inside of the main suitcase as Rob said. Plenty of slack to move it out of the way, but it's not vanishing without effort. The suitcase itself gets a TSA lock and never has anything else of value, just clothing to pad the case. The Sampsonite cases we got when we got married have a metal strap loop inside that is riveted to the same plate that holds the wheels. Seems pretty sturdy and is just large enough to slip a cable lock under.
Yes, it is a PIA to check in as I have to open the suitcase, but that's their rules - screw 'em if it takes me longer than average.
Never had any issues and I've had the suitcase opened twice in recent years. (I position the zippers and lock under a bright orange luggage strap, so its pretty obvious if someone got in.)
The case if from Americase http://www.americase.com/ Not cheap, but really really well built in the USA.
Inside the luggage. The case has two key and one combo lock on it. I then cable the handle to the inside of the main suitcase as Rob said. Plenty of slack to move it out of the way, but it's not vanishing without effort. The suitcase itself gets a TSA lock and never has anything else of value, just clothing to pad the case. The Sampsonite cases we got when we got married have a metal strap loop inside that is riveted to the same plate that holds the wheels. Seems pretty sturdy and is just large enough to slip a cable lock under.
Yes, it is a PIA to check in as I have to open the suitcase, but that's their rules - screw 'em if it takes me longer than average.
Never had any issues and I've had the suitcase opened twice in recent years. (I position the zippers and lock under a bright orange luggage strap, so its pretty obvious if someone got in.)
The case if from Americase http://www.americase.com/ Not cheap, but really really well built in the USA.
