This article will explore how to transport firearms when flying commercially in the United States. In the last 150 years, guns have gone from being a tool used to control vermin on farms to weapons that provide both a feeling of physical security and a sense of psychological well-being.
Today, in the United States, there are more guns in civilian hands than smartphones. To even put it into a better perspective, it is estimated that there are 400 million civilian-owned guns in the USA. America’s love affair with guns started after the Civil War (1861-1865) when white southerners began arming themselves because of insecurities and racial fears.
Over the proceeding decades, gun ownership in the USA has grown to the point that people view their guns as an extension of who they are, which is why Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners detected 6,737 firearms at American airports in 2023.
Georgia woman tried to take a gun on a flight at DCA
On September 9, 2024, a few days before the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, a Georgia woman was caught with a 9mm handgun while trying to board a flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Despite it being common knowledge that you cannot have firearms or any other weapons in your carry-on, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has seen an increase in the number of handguns in people’s carry-on luggage.
In the case of the Georgia woman, when X-raying her handbag, the TSA screener discovered a fancy teal-colored 9mm handgun along with three magazines loaded with 30 bullets. Due to the severity of the incident, the airport police were summoned, the gun confiscated, and the woman issued with a $15,000 fine. In a statement released by the TSA following the incident, the TSA’s Federal Security Director at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), John Busch said:
“This gun was intercepted at our checkpoint just three days before the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our nation. It doesn’t matter what color your gun is black, green, teal they are all prohibited on planes. People who own firearms need to know where their guns are at all times. And 23 years after 9/11, everyone should know that you are not allowed to carry any weapons past our checkpoints. Our officers are good at what they do, and everyone who works for TSA is very mindful of how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 impacted our nation.”
Guns can be transported on aircraft under certain conditions
While it is illegal to carry guns in carry-on luggage, you can fly with guns as checked baggage, provided certain criteria are met. According to the TSA guidelines, you may transport unloaded guns in a hard-sided locked container. When transporting weapons, you must declare guns and ammunition to the airline agent at the check-in desk.
Photo: Vevor
The container used to transport the gun must be lockable and completely secure to ensure that no one else, but you can access the weapon. Be aware that the container in which the firearm was purchased may not be adequately secured when traveling as checked luggage.
Rules to remember when traveling with firearms aboard a commercial airliner are:
- Obey all laws concerning the possession of firearms, as they can vary depending upon the state or government of the country to which you are traveling.
- If you plan to travel overseas, first consult the US Customs and Border Protection website for information concerning the use and import of firearms in the country to which you are traveling to.
- Always consult the airline you are flying with before you arrive at the check-in desk and ask about limitations and additional charges.
- When traveling with a firearm, it must be locked in a hard-sided container and can only be transported as checked baggage.
- For civil law enforcement purposes, the TSA considers firearms loaded if ammunition is present if the weapon and ammunition are accessible to the person transporting the gun. For example, suppose a person is transporting a firearm and has ammunition in a separate suitcase from the gun container. Because the owner can access both, the weapon is regarded as being loaded.
- You can use any lock you want for the gun container, but you must ensure that it meets TSA regulations.
- Trying to transport an unloaded firearm with accessible ammunition through a TSA checkpoint carries the same penalty as carrying a loaded firearm.
- Replica firearms and toy guns may not be carried onboard aircraft and must be placed in checked luggage. However, rifle scopes can be transported in both carry-on and checked baggage.
Flying commercially with ammunition:
- Traveling with ammunition is not allowed in carry-on baggage, but may like firearms to be transported in checked luggage or the hard-sided case used to transport the gun.
- All small caliber ammunition up to .75 and shotgun shells of any gauge must be transported in a cardboard, wood, plastic, or metal box specially designed to carry and store ammunition. If transporting ammunition, it must be declared to the airline, just like firearms.
- Airlines have limits for the amount of ammunition a person is allowed to transport, so first check with the airline before traveling to the airport.
Photo:TSA
All law enforcement officers, whether city, state, tribal, or federal, must be authorized by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) before they are allowed to fly with a firearm.