Airline Travel From ST.Louis(STL) To Portland (PDX)and in oregon! I need advice

[mechanicworkman]

In about two weeks I will be traveling from St. Louis Missouri to Portland, Oregon with a layover in Denver Colorado of about 2 hours. I will be there visiting family and friends as well as doing a little target shooting if possible and would like to take my handgun if possible.

I am a holder of a UTAH CCW for which I can legally carry in Missouri as well as Colorado although my handgun will be in my checked baggage at that point but not Oregon. I will declare that I have a firearm at the counter at STL and have it checked by the TSA in a box for which I have the only key!(do I need any forms filled out ahead of time? Is this even a good idea or am I opening myself up to get in trouble?

Now my questions start upon arrival in Portland since I do not have a Oregon CCW I will have to have the weapon open carried and when in a vehicle it must be locked in the trunk or not readily available & unloaded at least this is what I am understanding correct?

My question is this since I will have to carry openly how the legality apply when I have to declare the firearm at the desk I certainly can’t carry it above my head and keeping it in my checked luggage once I have gotten my bags from baggage claim would classify as concealed. I have read another thing on a site (http://oregonfirearms.org/faq/) that said as follows---

The Port of Portland issued an ordinance in 1996 saying "no guns, no exceptions." This was ordinance 377-R (Of course, this does not apply if you are legally traveling with a firearm and it's in your checked baggage.)
This obviously was not a reaction to 9/11, since it was written well before that.
The problem is, Oregon law very clearly PROHIBITS the Port of Portland from enacting any such ordinance. When we contacted the Chief of Police of the Port of Portland, Chief Phil Klahn, and asked him (very politely) about this contradiction, he had their lawyer, Barbara Jacobsen call us back She left a voice message telling us that she had given our name to the Department of Homeland Security. (Insert joke about them here.)
After numerous attempts to get an answer, we finally received a long letter from Jacobsen explaining why she believed the Port had the right to create such an ordinance.

We then forwarded THAT letter to House Representative Wayne Scott. He took it to "Legislative Counsel." These are the lawyers for the legislature. They actually write the laws the legislators request.
Their response was pretty straightforward. In their opinion, the Port of Portland may NOT enact any such ordinance.
Here's a direct quote from their opinion: "You have asked whether the Port of Portland has the authority to enact regulations prohibiting a person from carrying a firearm in the terminal at the Portland International Airport. The short answer is no."

We then forwarded their opinion to both Chief Klahn and Barbara Jacobsen. The Chief had advised us to advise you (our supporters) not to carry in the terminal. After reading the opinion of Legislative Counsel, he replied once again that his officers could cite license holders and then they could "have their day in court." Attorney Jacobsen has not responded at all. Your tax dollars at work.
So, as it stands, the law says you may carry in the terminal. The Port of Portland says you can be arrested if you are obeying the law. Legislative Counsel says the Port of Portland may not enforce this ordinance, and the Port of Portland Police say they don't care.

This sounds as if I may have a 50/50 chance at being arrested ticked & possibly be a felon does anyone have any input on this? Has anyone without an Oregon CCW traveled through there and how do the rules apply?Am I just better off leaving it at home?

 

[lloveless]

I would think that if the gun is unloaded, and locked in its case inside of a locked suitcase you are not carrying concealed, but transporting a weapon under several different guidlines(state,federal). Me thinks you are over thinking this. Try handgunlaw.com
ll

 

[Works2Shoot]

I'm all for supporting the 2A. I have a ccw myself. But aren't you going a bit overboard snail-mailing letters all over the place for a few days of carry?

Just leave it at home as having a gun related offense is not a good thing. Plus the excuse of ignorance being from out of state will not fly in court as you were pretty much told by authorities that whether or not the state truly allows for it, there is a law in place.

 

[robert6594j]

Welcome to Oregon. I'm an Oregon CHL holder and have both flown through PDX with firearms and carried concealed inside the terminal several times when picking up people. Hopefully I'll be able to clarify a few things for ya.
In regards to checking your firearm in your luggage, as long as you arrive at the airport with it in your locked case you will be fine. Federal law dictates that you be able to travel freely with your firearms, hence airlines cannot ban firearms in checked baggage. When I travel with firearms, I use a giant hard-sided Pelican case as my suitcase. I pack all of my clothes in there and place my firearms on top. It's then locked with 2 solid padlocks which only I have the key to. This makes my firearms much less prone to being stolen than if they were in a smaller locked box inside a regular suitcase, just use a giant gun case as your suitcase!
As far as declaring it when you check in, they will give you the very short form when you check in, nothing to fill out beforehand.
Transporting your firearm to and from the airport is just that, transporting. If it's in your checked luggage, its not considered "concealed", its considered "under transportation"
Flying with firearms is generally extremely easy, not a hassle at all.

As for open carrying in Oregon there are a few things you need to know.
Oregon does allow you to keep a ready firearm with you in your car, but it has to be openly visible. No need to keep it locked in your trunk as it is considered open carry.

Here's where things get tricky: While Oregon is an open carry state, there are a few cities that prohibit open carry, Portland being one of them. The scumbag mayor Adams recently decided to "get tough on illegal guns" and enacted a bunch of new anti-firearm measures in response to some gang shootings. Right now, Portland is looking for someone to make an example out of using their new gun laws. You can only openly carry in Portland if you have an Oregon CHL. The other cities that prohibit open carry are: Oregon City, Beaverton, Tigard, Salem, Independence, and Seaside. In these cities your firearm must be locked and not readily accessible in your car if you dont have an OR CHL

For more info: http://oregonfirearms.org
Hope this helped

 

[mechanicworkman]

Robert,

thank for clarifying on some details I appreciate someone with some actual knowledge of traveling through this airport with a firearm!As i will be taking it with me mainly for target shooting with my brother and family I will likely keep it in the trunk to be safe while taveling. If its in the trunk they cant fault me im pretty sure! As i have to drive through Tigard and a few of the mentioned cities. If i had the Oregon CCW like you i would be gravy and wouldnt worry about much but without it I am at least a trying to cover all my basis as much as i can

You state that "If it's in your checked luggage, its not considered "concealed", its considered "under transportation" <-----------Ok that is the term will try to remember!Hopefullly it wont be needed but I guess thats the route i will go.

So after arrival in oregon keep it in my checked luggage bag in locked containter (which will be in my tunk) until arrive at my destination and I cannot get in trouble for concealed carry without oregon CHL.

Thank you!

 

[mechanicworkman]

I also got this from another guy figured i would post it:

So in conclusion after arrival in Oregon keep it in my checked luggage bag in locked container (which will be in my trunk of rental car) until arrive at my destination and I cannot get in trouble for concealed carry without Oregon CHL.
>
> If I have missed anything please let me know. Thank you for your help in advance!
>
> Gerald Workman
>
>


Gerald,

I respect your diligence, but you may be more concerned than you need be. Technically, there is no way to walk out of the airport with a handgun unless you are carrying it openly and unloaded. In fact, there is no way in Oregon for a non license holder to leave a gun store with a brand new gun unless they are carrying it outside the original box.

In practice, this is not an issue.

Your handgun will be declared when you leave from Missouri. When you get here, you need do nothing. Just take your bags to your car, put them in the trunk and you’re done. No one has ever been prosecuted for having a concealed handgun under those circumstances. Even our judges are not that stupid. I strongly recommend that you do NOT even consider carrying a handgun openly in the airport. It will be in your bag and no one looks in your bag when you arrive.

There is no need to alert the TSA that you have a gun. You do that with the check in agent when LEAVING an airport. You do nothing on arrival.

When you go home, you will tell the check in agent that you are declaring unloaded firearms and they will 99% of the time say nothing more that "here is your tag. “ They may ask to see if it’s unloaded, which is a joke cause they don’t know even of they see it. Open the case, close the case, lock the case with the tag INSIDE the gun case and put it in your checked bag.

In Portland, you check in at the airline desk, and get your boarding pass, You then take your bags across the lobby to the “bomb” machine, where you give your bags to a hapless airport employee and again let them know there is an unloaded declared gun in there. They may do nothing, they may open your bag after it goes through the machine, but at that point you may not touch it again.

Get on your flight, have a cocktail and relax. There are thieves in every airport, so you could certainly face a theft, and as such having the serial numbers is a good idea, but I have traveled with handguns all over this country and Portland has been the one place I have never had anything approaching an issue.

Kevin Starrett

 

[TriTone]

These kinds of grey areas exist, just play it safe, don't carry at the port.

Also, not a lawyer here, but I breezed over Oregon firearms law and I'm not sure why you think having an unloaded handgun, locked in case, inside of a suitcase, is carrying a concealed weapon...

Hope this helps.