Airline Checked Bag - Tag goes INSIDE locked case?

umm i guess if something happens and they decide to search the case if proves that it hasnt been tampered with since it was put in and that it was actually declared and not just put in the case for stuffs and giggles

American Airlines @ DFW had me put the card in the case and on return trip out of Chicago they had me fill out 2 cards one went in the case the other with me.

This is the way it's been done on about 10 flights over a couple years for me. Personally, I'd prefer having the tag on the inside, since putting "FIREARM" on an orange placard outside the luggage is synonymous with marking it "STEAL ME."

Yes, they always have you put the firearm's tag on the inside of the gun case... I don't know why, but it is just how they do things. Flying with a gun is always a bit of a pain these days, but you get used to their procedures after a while.

Right, wrong or indifferent, I always do as they say. I put the TSA employees on the same level as the Wal Mart floor sweepers.

The tag always goes on the inside. Don't know exactly why, but I've checked my skeet equipment many times with different airlines, and they put the tag on the inside. Maybe TSA can see it through the X-ray...who knows.

Way back when, you had to put them on the outside. As was mentioned earlier, this was basically a way of saying, "Steal me!". I'm glad it was changed.

The ink on the tag is visible on X-Ray. TSA can tell it's in there, and being in the case with the firearm guarantees the two don't become separated.

Firearms Tag

The tag goes in the suitcase which contains the locked firearms case.--NOT in the locked hard case with the firearm/firearms.

My daughter works for Northwest Airlines(soon to be Delta) and is a ground safety co-ordinater which causes her to meet with TSA bi-monthly. She grew up around firearms and is gun friendly to travelers carrying weapons.

If TSA opens your suitcase and you have declared a firearm and there is no tag in evidence, the bag will be pulled and searched farther. At that point the hard case will be opened and sometimes you will be asked to come explain why the tag is not in the proper place.

MANY airline employees are completely ignorant of the proper procedures and laws so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the actual law versus what they THINK it is.

Coming back from Los Angeles I shut down the whole Northwest Counter when I declared a revolver. No civilian--at that point--had ever come through their station with a firearm! They were stunned that civilians could even possess guns much less carry them at will!!

Tag has gone inside the case for a long time now. Too many baggage handlers were stealing guns. Same reason the post office requires overnight delivery for handguns. Less opportunity for employee theft.

I think there is some confusion here about the tag location. It goes INSIDE your suitcase but outside the locked pistol case. The airlines are prohibited from placing anything on the outside of your suitcase indicating it contains a weapon.

As someone stated, if TSA opens your bag (and they do frequently) and finds a locked case with no airline declaration form, the bag will not be loaded onto the aircraft until TSA is satisfied the weapon is unloaded or they can inspect the contents of the locked case. Many airline counter people never even ask to see the weapon and detrmine it's status. TSA is more likely to do this than an airline employee.

It's sad that there is such a lack of standardization on procedures by both TSA and the airlines but that's the way it is.

The ink on the tag is visible on X-Ray. TSA can tell it's in there, and being in the case with the firearm guarantees the two don't become separated.

Metal in the ink makes it visible to xray so if they see a gun and a tag they know it's declared.

I think there is some confusion here about the tag location. It goes INSIDE your suitcase but outside the locked pistol case.

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And where do you find this written anywhere I'd be curious to see?

Many airline counter people never even ask to see the weapon and detrmine it's status. TSA is more likely to do this than an airline employee.

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How often have you had a TSA agent check to see if the gun was unloaded? I've never had that happen.

Tag goes INSIDE locked case?

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If you're expecting the TSA rules to make sense, you'll be sadly disappointed.

TexasRifleman said:

And where do you find this written anywhere I'd be curious to see?



How often have you had a TSA agent check to see if the gun was unloaded? I've never had that happen.

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Someone stated that the tag went on the outside of your suitcase IIRC. That is wrong. I was just clarifying the tag declaring tour firearm unloaded goes inside your suitcase. I went through Dulles Airport 3 weeks ago on my way to Vegas. The TSA requested my key and I WATCHED the agent remove my G22 and pull the slide back to check the weapon.

I have not found a cite for the post that said the tag goes inside your locked case. if a TSA employee does a visual inspection, he won't see the tag if it's in the locked case. I have not ever heard of the tag being able to be xray'ed inside the case. I would like a cite for that. When i traveled 3 weeks ago, the tag was on the top of my locked case so TSA could see it.

GRIZ22 said:

The ink on the tag is visible on X-Ray. TSA can tell it's in there, and being in the case with the firearm guarantees the two don't become separated.

Metal in the ink makes it visible to xray so if they see a gun and a tag they know it's declared.

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Please provide a cite for this

Last month on a return flight, my bag was visually inspected. The TSA agent said the X-ray machine did not see the tag next to the gun, so they had to confirm visually.

Up until then, I did not realize the ink on the tag was special.

There is no uniformity in TSA procedures. If you go from city to city they will change the rules and swear they have the correct procedure.

Please provide a cite for this

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Get serious. There is no "citing" TSA, because even they say their rules are secret.

It's best to go with the flow, it saves a lot of aggravation. Most TSA folks are nice people, just caught in the bureaucracy.

Maybe it's why Israel doesn't use government screeners, and they have never had an attack. Our government knew that when the TSA was formed, and chose to create another union full of Democrat voters.
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I did not realize the ink on the tag was special.

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I'm no security expert, but if I put the tag (special ink or not) inside my METAL locked gun case, it won't show up. Period.
Maybe they should use lead tags. Or RF ID's.
How about this? Require every gun manufacturer to install an RF ID chip in every gun, so the TSA could track that gun everywhere.
I'm getting a headache.

Guns and more said:

There is no uniformity in TSA procedures. If you go from city to city they will change the rules and swear they have the correct procedure.


Get serious. There is no "citing" TSA, because even they say their rules are secret.

It's best to go with the flow, it saves a lot of aggravation. Most TSA folks are nice people, just caught in the bureaucracy.

Maybe it's why Israel doesn't use government screeners, and they have never had an attack. Our government knew that when the TSA was formed, and chose to create another union full of Democrat voters.
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I'm no security expert, but if I put the tag (special ink or not) inside my METAL locked gun case, it won't show up. Period.
Maybe they should use lead tags. Or RF ID's.
How about this? Require every gun manufacturer to install an RF ID chip in every gun, so the TSA could track that gun everywhere.
I'm getting a headache.

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I am skeptical of the claim that TSA can "see" a tag inside a steel gun case. Even if they could, which I doubt, an inspector who open my bag without benefit of an xray machine would not see the tag if it was inside the container. every time I've flown, the gate agent has told me to put the tag ON my gun case, not in it.

Ah, the things you learn on internet gun forums .....

WNC Seabee said:

I expected the tag to be inside the suitcase but outside the locked pistol case (which is in the larger suitcase).

Of sourse I wouldn't want it on the exterior exposed to the public.

We'll see!

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It is against current FAA regulations to mark the exterior any suitcase that would indicate the presence of a firearm. United used to put a row of FFFFF's on your luggage tag and was made to stop the practice after complaints were received.

It's not about TSA--you don't want that bright "steal me" tag showing where the baggage handlers and any other ground crew can quickly ID the piece of luggage containing the gun (and then it magically disappears--gee, imagine that).