By Donovan Beard

February 18, 2025

 

You are allowed to fly commercially with a firearm in your checked luggage, however there are some things you will need to know and plan for before showing up to the airport with your concealed handgun. First and foremost is having a good travel safe, this would be a safe that is of high-quality construction and good locks. When you are selecting a safe, a lot of the manufacturers will even list on the packaging that the safe meets the requirements for air travel. Additionally, I always place an apple air tag inside the case just in case I am having trouble locating my baggage at the baggage claim area.

While I am booking my flight, I will generally go to the website for the airlines I will be using for travel, on that site there will typically be a section dedicated to outlining the process, rules and requirements for traveling with a firearm. These rules are updated periodically, so a quick refresher before you fly is never a bad idea.

When I pack my firearm in the travel safe, I will make sure it is not loaded and will generally place my pocketknife inside the same locked case along with the empty magazines. I typically prefer having the firearm locked up independently of the ammunition. I will have the ammunition in a hard plastic case or the box that the ammunition came in when I purchased it outside the safe but inside my checked luggage, you just don’t want to have loose ammunition rolling around in the bottom of your luggage. Most airlines have a limit to the amount of ammunition you can travel with; this is generally determined by weight and often is somewhere around 10lbs. I will also make sure that when I pack my checked luggage, the safe with my firearm is readily accessible at the top of my checked luggage and will ensure the safe is locked when I approach the airport.

I recommend showing up to the airport 30 to 45 minutes earlier than you normally would when checking a firearm, largely because checking a firearm involves interacting with a few more people than you typically would when traveling without a gun. When you are checking into your flight, you need to tell the attendant at the kiosk “I have a weapon to declare,” and use this phrase specifically. At that point they will have you fill out and sign a declaration form, this form is a confirmation that you are in fact declaring the firearm and that it is not loaded. That declaration form needs to go inside your luggage, not on the outside, and I will usually have a small piece of tape on the outside of my safe to make sure that the declaration form stays with the safe.

The attendant at the kiosk will then direct you to the TSA security who will then conduct a baggage check. When this occurs, the TSA security personnel will separate you from your luggage and will open your bag and ensure that the safe is locked and meets the criteria set forth by TSA to travel. There have been times when the TSA security employee has requested to inspect the firearm in the locked container, which is fine, however you just need to make sure that the firearm is securely locked in the safe before you walk away from the luggage that is being checked. From there, simply hop on your flight as you normally would, and you can retrieve your luggage at the baggage claim area when you reach your destination.

Since I travel via commercial airlines with firearms often, there are some habits which have made life a lot easier for me. First off, when I am packing my bags in preparation for air travel, I always empty all bags out and inspect every pocket, nook and cranny of both my carry on and checked luggage. With respect to your carry on, you need to sanitize that bag of all weapons and ammunition. If you have a loose 9mm round in your carry on, it can make traveling a lot harder of a process than it needs to be and chances are that TSA staff will not be happy with you. You need to make sure this does not happen. I do this same process every time before I fly simply to avoid trouble or conflict. Additionally, you need to do a little research on the gun laws of the state you are traveling to. For example, at the time I am writing this, there are states that have magazine capacity restrictions, for example the State of California has a 10 rounds magazine capacity restriction, which means that you are not allowed to have magazines that carry more than 10 rounds in that state, that may influence what type of firearm you travel with. It is always easier to do a little research beforehand to make sure you are not unintentionally in violation of the law. Gun laws vary a lot between states and changes frequently, so make this research part of your packing process.

Lastly, if you are confused just call the airline you are traveling through for advice or seek legal advice from an attorney. Additionally, never attempt to carry a firearm through the TSA Screening area when you are entering the secure section of the airport. It is a mistake that some have made that is very preventable if you plan and pack accordingly.