Spreadfire Arms
Member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
- 1,312
ive had all kinds of experiences w/ TSA screeners and ticket agents, with Continental, Southwest, and America West.
they have not given me a hard time, although i believe they don't really know what they're doing they're just going through the motions. ive travelled with a registered machine gun and they didn't seem to notice the short barrel of the MP5 or the selector switch with the "S-E-F" positions. all they care about is whether or not it is loaded or not. sometimes im not even sure if they're looking in the right hole to see if its loaded or not. then again, TSA and the ticket agents don't enforce NFA laws anyway so why should they care.
one ticket agent wanted to put the firearm declaration tag on the outside of my bag but i corrected her. she had to ask another employee who told her she was incorrect. no big deal.
in Las Vegas i had a locked case with 10 pistols. TSA agents wanted to look at them so they had me open the case. they seemed more like a bunch of guys who liked guns and just wanted to look, no trouble, no big deal. i unlocked the re-locked the case in their presence.
ive had a TSA agent look at a case i had with a full auto MP5A2 and a suppressor. he didn't give me a hard time, but at the same time i don't think he knew it was a full auto weapon, nor did he seem to think it was a real silencer either. i don't think it mattered to him anyway.
my feeling is that so long as you're nice to TSA and ticket agents, they're nice to you. i've never had any problems and i travel with full auto weapons. what they don't know won't hurt them (if i introduced Class III paperwork into the mix it would only confuse a bunch of people, although I carry a copy of the registration form with me and another copy of the form in the locked case). if they have questions i'll answer them but i don't add things to complicate things. i've never had them ask for me to unlock it and then take my weapon somewhere out of my sight. usually they just ask me to show its unloaded right there in front of everyone, which is no bueno since if there is a thief in line he's just zeroed in on my bag.
however, when i flew into Norfolk, VA, and Austin, TX, they have always had the common sense to hold my long gun case at the baggage office so it doesnt go onto the carousel and people have a shot at taking it. They also did ask me for ID and verified my tags stapled from my boarding pass to the baggage tag.
they have not given me a hard time, although i believe they don't really know what they're doing they're just going through the motions. ive travelled with a registered machine gun and they didn't seem to notice the short barrel of the MP5 or the selector switch with the "S-E-F" positions. all they care about is whether or not it is loaded or not. sometimes im not even sure if they're looking in the right hole to see if its loaded or not. then again, TSA and the ticket agents don't enforce NFA laws anyway so why should they care.
one ticket agent wanted to put the firearm declaration tag on the outside of my bag but i corrected her. she had to ask another employee who told her she was incorrect. no big deal.
in Las Vegas i had a locked case with 10 pistols. TSA agents wanted to look at them so they had me open the case. they seemed more like a bunch of guys who liked guns and just wanted to look, no trouble, no big deal. i unlocked the re-locked the case in their presence.
ive had a TSA agent look at a case i had with a full auto MP5A2 and a suppressor. he didn't give me a hard time, but at the same time i don't think he knew it was a full auto weapon, nor did he seem to think it was a real silencer either. i don't think it mattered to him anyway.
my feeling is that so long as you're nice to TSA and ticket agents, they're nice to you. i've never had any problems and i travel with full auto weapons. what they don't know won't hurt them (if i introduced Class III paperwork into the mix it would only confuse a bunch of people, although I carry a copy of the registration form with me and another copy of the form in the locked case). if they have questions i'll answer them but i don't add things to complicate things. i've never had them ask for me to unlock it and then take my weapon somewhere out of my sight. usually they just ask me to show its unloaded right there in front of everyone, which is no bueno since if there is a thief in line he's just zeroed in on my bag.
however, when i flew into Norfolk, VA, and Austin, TX, they have always had the common sense to hold my long gun case at the baggage office so it doesnt go onto the carousel and people have a shot at taking it. They also did ask me for ID and verified my tags stapled from my boarding pass to the baggage tag.