Famous last words:
"So, we'll save you the money for buying a hardcase to lock your gun into."

@Canino: Also make sure you know what the legal carry and registration requirements for the local area are too. If you try checking a hand gun from an airport in NJ and are from NJ and fail to possess the correct license/registration you are in deep trouble if the local police get you. The TSA might not care but the local cops will.

Trust me, if you're ever in that back room being threatened to be held without charges on suspicion of terrorism (for as long as they want), you'll talk, too, whenever they want you to, lawyer or not.

There's a time and place where all integrity goes out the damn window.

@The-Lone-Gunman: What are you talking about? This is the first time we got the actual details of what happened. Before this, we weren't sure what relationship these two people had with each other. There's nothing "captain obvious" about it. Stop trying to be witty, it's not working.

@squinko: No, it doesn't make it loaded, but everyone aside from the person carrying the gun should treat it as loaded, because you can never be 100% sure (do you just trust someone to say, "It's not loaded, promise!"), ESPECIALLY in places like an airport.

@kepler11: That's not even a question, really--airline employees just aren't searched. In 2 years of working for US Airways I was never searched, nor did I hear of a coworker being searched. It's a joke.

The procedure for checking a firearm is the one thing that the airlines are not completely ridiculous about.

Tell that to all these people who had their guns stolen when flying....

"So far, KIRO Team 7 Investigators tracked at least 34 handguns presumed stolen, including 10 guns missing from LAX in Los Angeles, three in Portland, three in Tampa, and two each in San Antonio and Chicago O'Hare. Oakland, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Washington D.C. Dulles and Ronald Reagan airports reported thieves stealing handguns in secure areas of the airport as well."

'tard

dammit!

Protip: if you fly with firearms, it's basically impossible to get your other valuable stuff stolen because legally, you're required to be the only one with a key to the locks on your bag. If they search your bag, you have to be present.

On the Internets, they're referred to as OPERATORS (yes, in all caps)

BTW, pegr, you really think it's a good idea for people to carry guns in courts and bars?

@pegr: Tell me, what part of "shall not be infringed" do you have a problem understanding?

For me, it's not so much the "shall not be infringed" part as the "well-regulated militia" part.

Tell me, what part of "shall not be infringed" do you have a problem understanding?

Trai is just a little ignorant and behind the times. He doesn't seem to realize that his progressive pals have left him behind. The latest push for the 2nd amendment as an individual right is from liberal/progressive legal scholars.

First off, it seems like the best way to start the process (I wasn't trained on this specifically, but everyone did it from what I remember) is to talk to one of the people you check in with, and tell them what you have. They'll summon the right people. Obviously, bring as much documentation for the gun as you can, and come as early as reasonably possible (more security checks are needed than normal).

That said, I only had to go through security a dozen times when I worked that summer. A few times when I first started and didn't have my airport badge, and a few times when I'd be escorting passengers. Otherwise, we can use our badge and PIN number to get through a few doors within the airport, including those needed to go through security. Yes, we did have background checks done for that privilege, along with an hour-long lecture on acceptable things to do with the badge.

For one thing, we cannot use the badge to bypass security before a flight. An airport cop did that, everyone knew it was by accident, and he got a big fine and was fired, as I recall. They also test us as we are working. They sometimes have people walk in secure areas (not just the passenger areas, but areas near the tarmac) without the badge on. If you cannot see the badge, you are supposed to ask to see it. If they don't have one, and you report it, you get a reward. If you do nothing, and it's a decoy, you get a fine. One of my coworkers even got a citation when a plainclothes cop was able to come through a closing door into the secure area (piggybacking is a huge no-no).

The whole system is not foolproof, by any means, but it's not a free-for-all by any means, either. Sorry for the length of this, but some of you might find this interesting.

@Josh: Actually, no, that is incorrect. They watch bags with guns very closely. In fact, if you want to ensure safe arrival of any checked bag, throw in a starter's pistol, and declare it at the counter.

Don't put your kilo of hash in there though...

@Trai_Dep: Gee, I'm not a knucklehead, but I am atheist, not a member of the NRA, don't listen to AM (I do listen to NPR), and I do believe I have the right to carry "in every square inch of the US" because that's what the Constitution says. Tell me, what part of "shall not be infringed" do you have a problem understanding?

Don't try the "private entity" argument. Airlines are public facilities/contract carriers.

The AP is reporting that the employee charged with smuggling a unloaded handgun and ammunition aboard a US Airways flight was trying to help his roommate avoid checking it.

In other news, water was determined to be wet and the absence of the Sun means that night has fallen.

...we'll be back with more of the Captain Obvious news report right after this word from Rock Star Energy Drink--the drink of the Savages!

Scary.

@MitchEvious: *and they'll be complete*

I think they might be cursed... Birds, Deer, Guns... Just waiting for the drugs and murder to show up they'll be complete.

Another caution: You might read and understand the TSA's rules for traveling with firearms, but that doesn't mean the TSA person you're dealing with knows the rules. Print out the rules and take them with you, and if there is any issue don't bother arguing, just immediately ask to speak to a supervisor.

A quick Google search will find many instances where the TSA person had no idea what to do and/or gave incorrect information.