Report of gun possibly stolen by airport employee

[sparky923]

What airline?

I assume Southwest...

 

[sparky923]

How long ago?? They long ago were supposed to stop using those "steal me" stickers for just this reason.

Couple years?

 

[P7M13]

I've flown with guns dozens of times. What always amazes me is how each airport's process is different, some being downright insane. PHL wanted to inspect the inside of my case once while I was waiting at the gate. Fortunately I had combo locks on it. With both Southwest and United, once each, my guns went elsewhere and made it back to me a day or two later. American? I have paid almost twice as much with other carriers to avoid flying with them.
I really disliked United and Delta because they would not let you do advanced check in on your return flight if you flew with guns. Every darned time.
While at TSA counters doing firearm check-in, I've seen some doozys -- one guy drilled a hole into the handle of his flimsy pistol case, put a lock on it, and put it in his suitcase. Another guy bringing Franchi shotguns from his relative's estate, with them haphazardly stuffed into a flimsy Flambeau case.

flying first class they tend to give a bit more attention to making sure the bags are where they need to be.

I admire your confidence. Wander to the baggage handling conveyors and that thought may evaporate.
I watched one guy load my rifle case on the ramp to the airplane. It fell off. He picked it up and tossed it onto the ramp again, overshot and it hit the other side. I was impressed, this thing weighed in right at 50#. I knew it was my case because of the corporate markings I have on it. I also knew how well it as packed inside, so didn't worry.
I have watched bags loaded onto belts hundreds of times over the decades. Some baggage handlers are decidedly un-gentle with the baggage. My suitcases would last me two years if I was lucky.

 

[JRuby]

I remember back in 81 when I was flying back to Michigan from San Diego CA. I was attending Ml101 Fire Control school down in Point Loma. They actually had me cycle the pistols at the Ticket counter to verify they were empty. I do not remember anyone freaking out. Try that today and you will be under arrest and on the evening news.

 

[Alexx1401]

Couple years?

Damn! Airlines were told to stop with the steal me stickers before the TSA came along. Have to wonder which moron thought it would be a good idea to go back to using them

 

[Alexx1401]

Yep, they do, and it is (or was anyway) about a 3 day delay if you were found to have an undeclared firearm.

I once knew a person who worked the baggage check in at the Redmond, OR airport and he 'found' at least 3 guns during his time - one an FBI agent.

One of them, a guy actually set a rifle case (with rifle inside) with his luggage. Needless to say how that worked out.

Last time I flew couple years back I shipped but my checked luggage had a couple Taser's in it. When I got to the hotel I could see the bag had been gone through, then found a little card. Saying the TSA had been there for all our safety.
When I got home I still had one of the Tasers and again I could tell they had gone through the bag. This time they did not bother to leave their cute little card. Suspect they were probably all disappointed when they opened the bag and there was no firearm in there

 

[Camelfilter]

Cop friend of mine got stranded in Los Angeles while visiting me. He had driven out with his family from back east. He had to fly back in an emergency and the airline for whatever reason would not let him carry in on with him despite LEO creds. He was ADAMANT he would not check his service gun into the airline. I believe he had inside info on how often it happens that stuff turns up missing. This played a role in me shipping my guns from Florida to WA, no way I was gonna let three of my best and brightest (literally) get lost or stolen.

LEO creds alone no longer apply for LEO to fly armed. For a while now.

Quite a bit of rules & regs, of which your friend did not qualify.

If he did, he would have flown armed. No drama.

Law Enforcement | Transportation Security Administration

www.tsa.gov

 

[Benhiatt14]

Be CAREFUL here. They do x-ray the bags. If they (TSA) see what they even think is a gun, they open the bag. If they find a gun you are going to find it was FAR from being worth trying to fly with it not declared.
Stealing from luggage is as old at flying. Airlines have long really just not cared because they don't have to. I ship guns ahead to myself and ship them back. If I had to fly with one checked I would make sure it was one I would not miss if it goes stolen.

Last time I flew I put my gun in my suit case in a locked box with mag and ammo in separate locked box, declared it at counter, asked agent to tuck tag in suit case, totally cool about it, recieved at other end just fine..idk if they xrayd it, I would get in trouble or not. But I tried to comply.lol

 

[Benhiatt14]

LEO creds alone no longer apply for LEO to fly armed. For a while now.

Quite a bit of rules & regs, of which your friend did not qualify.

If he did, he would have flown armed. No drama.

Law Enforcement | Transportation Security Administration

www.tsa.gov

It's VERY hard to get, like it used to be your supervisor called TSA, and sent a letter with you that you are on official business. Now the letter has to go to Federal Marshall's and wait for a response after the check you out and they deny alot unless you have a prisoner. The captain can still deny you when u board.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Damn! Airlines were told to stop with the steal me stickers before the TSA came along. Have to wonder which moron thought it would be a good idea to go back to using them

The stickers probably created competition for TSA. If TSA employees are the only ones trying to steal guns it's much easier for them. Probably the union complained that people were stealing the guns before the employees could steal them. It's just not fair!

 

[Greg S]

The blaze orange bumper stickers of the past screaming steal me. I was meeting a co-worker at a gate in Frankfurt, Germany. He was returning from a security detail in Brussels. In his hand was a large fluorescent orange envelope with Firearm printed on it in several languages. I just started chuckling.

They had permission to fly with but the pilot deemed different.

 

[Edhunds]

View: https://youtu.be/pPB0RASssTE?si=V9Q90SgDHNmGARqX

I used a metal locking gun box with a cable secured to the bag. If they steal the gun, they would need to cut the cable or steal the whole bag.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Las Vegas hotel being dicks about guns video

View: https://youtu.be/s1Gb5UUlV-k?si=fmTWOTJBM129FU3c

 

[nammac]

Just drive, takes the airline hassle out of the equations and keeps TSA out your b'ness…

And it's fun to see AmeriKa, if time permits…

 

[whiskeybill]

A member at our gun club related this one to me. He drove to Seattle to catch a plane to Florida, for a hog hunting trip. He checked his bags and firearms at SeaTac, then proceeded to the boarding gate. He had put an Apple tracker in with his firearms, and noticed that the gun case was out of the terminal, in a parking area. He notified TSA, and they all promptly went out to the parking area. It was a TSA employee who had his firearms in his personal car. The emplopyees explanation? He was going out to his car to get his lunch, and didn't want to leave the gun case unsecure. So he took it with him, out of the secure terminal area. Yeah, right. So far as this individual knows, nothing has been done to this employee as far as disciplinary action, and he figures it's because he is union. Nothing out of his congressional reps office either. At least he got his firearms back. Had to catch a later flight.

I've never had the need to check a handgun at the airport, but I have flown out of state to go hunting, checking long guns. Not anymore. I won't chance it, particularly since you can't trust anyone in those supposed "secure areas".

 

[Alexx1401]

A member at our gun club related this one to me. He drove to Seattle to catch a plane to Florida, for a hog hunting trip. He checked his bags and firearms at SeaTac, then proceeded to the boarding gate. He had put an Apple tracker in with his firearms, and noticed that the gun case was out of the terminal, in a parking area. He notified TSA, and they all promptly went out to the parking area. It was a TSA employee who had his firearms in his personal car. The emplopyees explanation? He was going out to his car to get his lunch, and didn't want to leave the gun case unsecure. So he took it with him, out of the secure terminal area. Yeah, right. So far as this individual knows, nothing has been done to this employee as far as disciplinary action, and he figures it's because he is union. Nothing out of his congressional reps office either. At least he got his firearms back. Had to catch a later flight.

I've never had the need to check a handgun at the airport, but I have flown out of state to go hunting, checking long guns. Not anymore. I won't chance it, particularly since you can't trust anyone in those supposed "secure areas".

Shortly after the TSA was invented the first thing they went after was to form a union. Wonder why they would want to do that.

 

[Tony617]

I haven't flown for business since the early 1990s. I got corporate card from my current employer and flew to Sacramento, CA for some training. I put a small pocket knife in my checked luggage at SeaTac. The baggage inspector sized my pocket knife from my checked bag. It was an expandable luggage back in inspector unzipped the entire bag as well.

 

[L84Cabo]

• Never travel with a gun of sentimental value or high dollar value if you're not ok with losing it
• Make sure it's fully insured. Note most regular home owners policies limit loss liability on firearms to around $2K. Make sure you understand the limitations of your policy
• Using Air Tags (or similar) may be a good idea. You may also want to use several of them...one for the main suitcase, one for the gun case, and one buried inside the gun somewhere if it will fit
• Try to secure your gun case to the inside of your suitcase. For example, sometimes the wheelie handle is accessible on the inside of the suitcase and you can cable lock the gun case to it. Obviously the whole suitcase can be stolen and the cable can be defeated. But this may deter the "quick grab" thief who is just reaching in and grabbing whatever they can.

Good luck...and may the odds be ever in your favor!

 

[gryghin]

A member at our gun club related this one to me. He drove to Seattle to catch a plane to Florida, for a hog hunting trip. He checked his bags and firearms at SeaTac, then proceeded to the boarding gate. He had put an Apple tracker in with his firearms, and noticed that the gun case was out of the terminal, in a parking area. He notified TSA, and they all promptly went out to the parking area. It was a TSA employee who had his firearms in his personal car. The emplopyees explanation? He was going out to his car to get his lunch, and didn't want to leave the gun case unsecure. So he took it with him, out of the secure terminal area. Yeah, right. So far as this individual knows, nothing has been done to this employee as far as disciplinary action, and he figures it's because he is union. Nothing out of his congressional reps office either. At least he got his firearms back. Had to catch a later flight.

I've never had the need to check a handgun at the airport, but I have flown out of state to go hunting, checking long guns. Not anymore. I won't chance it, particularly since you can't trust anyone in those supposed "secure areas".

Why are people thinking it's ok to just use a handgun case as the "Checked" bag?

Maybe if it's a long gun, but most can be field stripped to fit in a case that would fit in a standard luggage.

This is not the first time that I've heard of someone using their handgun case as the other checked bag.

Doesn't make sense to me.

Get a hardshell case, cable lock it in your luggage, put empty handgun with some sort of empty chamber flag.

Declare at the ticketing agent desk. Show them whatever they ask for. Sign paperwork, stick it where they tell you. Then lock luggage.

Some airports have you bring the luggage to TSA at the oversize luggage counter, most now just take the bag and tell you wait for 15 minutes. If they don't call for you, go ahead and go through security.

Flying first class at most airports, have a separate line, that is sometimes faster than TSA precheck, and always faster than the general boarding security line.

Flying from Oregon to Florida or South Carolina, means that driving generally isn't a viable option.

As for baggage handling while on the tarmac, sitting in first class has a great view of the trolley and lift. Yes, they don't treat bags with care. But I know that bags on first class always make the first trolley being loaded onto the plane. My bags are very noticeable, we sticker them like the old steamer trunks... stickers of where we've been.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDb0Dn8OXE