— Jackson Owings, APP
This article is not intended to stand as legal advice. This article is to be informative and intuitive to the reader.
Ever since that fateful day in September, the way we travel in the skies has changed. There are often headaches when people think of flying on a commercial airline. The biggest complaints often come through the form of frustrations in dealing with Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While there are many strict regulations on what can and cannot be brought into the cabin. Some of these items are common sense and some are very bizarre. However, most people forget that what you bring in the form of checked bags is a whole different list.
I would argue that people who do not own a firearm, and some of those that do, forget that most if not all major US airlines allow you to check a firearm. The process is relatively easy and painless. Which in the big picture of things could be a thousand times worse.
The big things to remember are:
1. Has to be unloaded
2. Needs to be in a case
3. Said case needs to be locked. The case should be double locked. (P.S. TSA locks are not safe as people think they are. This could be its own article.)
4. The most critical part, besides good basic firearm security, is to declare it to the airline before checking in.
To limit your stress when you are traveling with a firearm. When booking your flight and you know ahead of time. Try to avoid a layover and have a direct flight. If you do need to have a layover, consider the size of the airport, and time it will take to get to another terminal. My advice is at a minimum 2 hour layover.
The reasons for this are:
1. This will provide a level of insurance in case you experience a delay of some kind.
2. If you don’t experience a delay then it will provide the ground crew enough time to get your firearm to your next gate.
3. While not in regards to a firearm, it also serves as a time for you to stretch and get some food.
It’s crazy to think that in some sort of fashion that firearms are still allowed on planes with some restrictions. That process is fairly simple. Lastly, it is very important to follow all Local, state, and federal laws, and safety procedures.
Please seek your own legal advice on how to properly travel with a firearm.
