Even at a large hub airport with over a thousand flights per day, the number of people who have motive and opportunity to steal your bag is usually less than 20. Knowing that, you can increase your chances of making your bag less attractive to "thefts of opportunity" or increase the chance that if your bag is "misplaced" (means hidden for later retrieval and theft) you may be able to get it back fairly quick.
I'll say this once, speed is your friend. The very second your bag goes missing, start screaming, and keep screaming until the cops arrive. If you know a reporter, or someone at the local newspaper or TV station, call them too. You want a Law Enforcement Officer present and involved as soon as possible, and not the TSA or the airline, who are never your friend.
My experience and suggestions are below. Your mileage may vary.
Since I worked for many years in the airline industry, well before TSA existed, and long after, here are some thoughts on this issue. I've traveled with firearms since 1985, and haven't lost one yet. I've had stimulating discussions with TSA personnel from time to time regarding my personal measures, but my bag always flies. I usually end the discussion with "I'll stop taking these measures when you guys stop stealing". The news articles on TSA personnel stealing speak for themselves. The TSA thieves are usually only outdone by the Airline thieves, who compete with the usual sundry thieves stealing your stuff while its out of your control at the airport.
When I travel with long or short guns, the case contains many things other than the firearm. In no particular order, here is what I include in my firearms cases.
A high security small padlock purchased in Europe on the exterior. These can be mail ordered. They are small, effective, extremely difficult to pick, and do not subscribe to the TSA master key system. One style of these locks has a "round count" as it counts the number of times its been opened. I own several of these locks. They cost about 25 Euros. Using a European style lock is an extra layer of security to prevent the unauthorized opening of the lock by either authorized personnel, or ex TSA/Airline employees working in the Airline industry.
A photograph, inside the case, on top of everything, taken with my digital camera and printed with my home printer showing the case and its contents, along with that day's newspaper. I have the original digital copy on a thumbdrive in my pocket. I can't stress this point enough, the very last thing your should do before you turn over your checked bag is to photograph it with a digital camera. You'll need that photo later and it will be the deciding factor in many cases in getting your bag returned.
A notice stating that no ammunition is inside the case (I pack ammo separately or purchase it locally).
One or two, possibly three anti-tamper devices.
Many of these anti tamper devices are inexpensive and can be purchased on the Internet. They are well worth the expense. My favorite is:
Trace It Powder
Cheap and deadly effective. It cost at least one Airline employee their job in Phoenix in 1998. Open and shut case.
Several copies of news articles, courtesy of Google, describing successful prosecutions of TSA or Airline employees for Theft. Just to remind folks of the consequences.
For longarms, the stock is wiped down and wrapped in cling film or saran wrap prior to it being closed. This is another anti-tamper mechanism for those familiar with forensics evidence methods.
Locked to the longarm through the receiver is a steel bike cable locking (or mating) it to the case. The same cable is covered with little Christmas bells. (Thieves like objects like rifles to be silent, the little bells are easy to miss and make a lot of noise when you're trying to be covert) On some occasions when I am traveling light, I have several Scuba Diving weights padlocked with a high security padlock to the firearm. The weight increase ensures that its difficult to steal and carry discreetly (this works well for pistols). Its in your interest, within the airlines bag weight restriction, to make the bag as heavy as possible, not as light as possible. Thieves are lazy.
- A small pistol case is not your friend. Your case should be large enough to be noticed and difficult to conceal. When I travel with pistols, I usually place a small case inside a larger case just to make it more difficult to steal. The smaller case can be used once you get to your destination, and the larger case can be stored locally (like in your rental car trunk).
- In over 30 years of working at airports, 100% of bag thefts were male. As a result, pink can be your friend. One of my close associates had a pelican style case made in bright pink and covered it with pro feminine stickers like "Breast Cancer Awareness" or "Code Pink". You can see his case 100% of the time when it gets loaded on an airplane. I've seen it loaded from 6 gates away. Smart. Impossible to hide that anywhere and any guy walking across a ramp or parking lot is going to get a lot of stares. He carries a simple black elastic bag in his carry on that slips over the case when he has it. Discreet, and smart. Everyone in bag make up (where 80% of thefts occur) is going to remember a pink rifle case.
The last item I use when I am traveling with a high value (to me) firearm. It is a plunger activated audio alarm. Opening the case causes a shrill high db alarm to sound. It can't be turned off, you need a key. I have the only key. The one time it was activated I was in the terminal area, standing in the security line about 150 yards away and I heard it go off. My cell phone rang about 5 minutes later. Needless to say, it was an interesting discussion with the TSA that day. No one was happy about the conversation, least of all the airline employee who said he was just making sure the case was locked.
The final task is an engraved plate that I adhere to the exterior of the case with my cell phone number with a message "For entry please call the cell phone number and I will open the case for inspection on demand". I've been called over the years I have done this, many times by TSA or airline personnel wanting to see inside the case. After a brief discussion the case is closed.
One thing to remember, that many folks forget, in this day and age it is impossible to get a job on an airport without being fingerprinted. And gun owners are a small fraction of the passengers who are transporting high dollar high value bags.
The one time my rifle case was "misplaced" it was with United Airlines in Denver (at DIA airport). I went to baggage claim and presented to the bag agent, and then to the station manager (who I had summoned) my file folder showing all the preventative measures I had taken. I called Denver PD from the bag office and told them a firearm was missing in the airport. I informed the dispatcher my next phone call would be to the media. And I would be calling the media until I had an officer to talk to. I had one of Denver's finest standing in that office in about 50 seconds. Needless to say, things got interesting real fast.
We had a brief discussion regarding fingerprints, video recording, and other measures I know that the airport employs to counter bag theft. All bag inspection areas are video recorded. I had a meeting to make, so I left my card with the nice police officer who was by now talking to his duty Sgt. who were both in a tense discussion with the Assistant Station Manager.
My cell phone range when I was on the Rental Car bus. They had "found" my case and its contents and wanted me to return to pick it up.
Pays to be proactive folks. If you think before you fly like you're likely to think after its been stolen, you might be a little more creative and proactive about protecting your personal property, as I am.
I got my of my ideas on protecting my property from Airport LEO's who have worked bag theft rings for many years. In the late 1990's, there were several bag theft rings operating in the U.S. who were airport gypsies, they worked a city for a few months at a time hitting high value bags, what they were looking for were usually financial instruments or high dollar cargo (like diamonds). The methods the owners used to protect their property (like the UV powder) is one I adopted for my own use.
Nothing, and I mean nothing gets the attention of the media today like a missing "gun" at the airport. And nothing gets the airlines and TSA's attention like asking the media to get involved.
It's a win win for the gun owner.
