Untrained Airline Staff

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RioShooter

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Today I flew for the first time with my handgun. I've downloaded pages of info, so I felt I was prepared. At the check-in counter I declared my firearm and the clerk directed me to the TSA agent. That's not what I expected, but I went anyway. At the TSA table I declared my gun and opened the case for inspection. The agent asked me for the form. I told him I wasn't given one. To keep this shorter: he called his supervisor; supervisor went to ticket agent; supervisor got orange declaration card; I signed it; closed the case, and went on my way.

Why aren't these people trained? :banghead:

BTW, the TSA staff was very polite and professional.
 
That's what supevisors are for. Yes, training should be better, but when in doubt I see no huge problem in a subordinate calling a supervisor for guidance. Better to have things done right at departure then getting blamed for a snafu upon arrival.
 
Clarification

I have no problem with the TSA. The problem is with the ticket agent. The agent is supposed to check the firearm and place the declaration tag in the case. The tag indicates to the TSA that the gun was properly declared. Their (TSA) job is not to check the firearm to see if it is unloaded. That was the airline's job, and the clerk didn't have a clue.
 
I didn't miss that part of your post. I would have asked to see the ticket agent's supervisor. If I got an argument instead, I would have wanted to speak with a TSA rep anyway.
 
The last time I flew with guns....

I opened my case to show the lady agent the four pistols were unloaded. She says, "you are as bad as my husband"........things were uphill from there on. Never had a problem flying with guns......I fly with a locked hardside suitcase with my locked gun case inside that is attached to the suitcase so it cannot be pulled out. One time I flew, my pistol was in the lid of the suitcase. TSA had a heck of a time finding it. It showed up on xray but when they looked, it was not there. I pointed out to them it was in the lid of the case....duh........chris3
 
You wanna hear untrained? I will be flying with mine in a couple of days. I called the airline last week to ask about some of their rules and what constituted one piece of checked luggage. The very friendly lady on the other end told me she didn't think that it would be a good idea for me to check my gun in luggage, and that I would probably want to keep it with my in my carry on luggage so that nothing would happen to it! :what: :what: :what: :what:

Then she asked her supervisor for advice, who told me to mail it to myself wherever I was going. Fed-Ex, UPS, or USPS would be fine he opined. Fine and dadny I guess, as long as the airline had nothing to do with it. It should be interesting when I show up at the counter... :banghead:
 
I've flown with my guns dozens of times, and I've gotten used to the drill. However, I'm always nervous that I'll get one of these people that don't like to think that the world has weapons, and will freak out.

A person I took a couple of training classes with once told me about a ticket agent who insisted that he rack the shotgun to prove to her that it was unloaded. Yeah, read that last line again and think about the consequences of doing this in an airport. After the nice police officers put their guns down, they gave the ticket agent a lecture on what not to insist of customers flying with guns.

Guy was lucky that the cops didn't start firing.
 
I have a question reguarding some of the post in this topic.

Can you check a pistol for a flight and have it in a carryy on bag or does it have to be in a check bag?
 
Can you check a pistol for a flight and have it in a carryy on bag or does it have to be in a check bag?
Click to expand...

I'll answer this on the off-chance this is a serious question and you aren't just yanking our chain. It has to go in checked luggage.

Here's a link with more information:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm

Airlines may have additional restrictions, it's best to consult their websites or check directly with them.
 
well my question was serious. The reason why I asked it was: There was a post related to a person who had a pistol in a locked compartment of his suitcase x-rayed by TSA and they could not see it until he pointed it out. My question came from his post. I thought only the items you carried on to a plane were x-rayed.I have not researched traveling via air with a pistol since my CCW has not arrived. On a side note I will be looking into this if my CCW arrives before my trip to houston texas.
 
get used to it. There are not that many weapons checked apparently and EVERY airport is different. I have checked my guns at most of the major airports in the US and while the staff is usually VERY nice, they are not well trained. What the TSA and airlines lack in training they make up for in being nice and helpful. It really depends on the area, I have gotten everything from ticketing agents afraid to look at the gun while in its case, to ticketing agents who have tried to give me the white form to carry a pistol on board as if I was a fed, to a small oriental ticketing agent in Houston who remaked, nice HK lol.
 
Perhaps the idea is that by not training anyone on how to smoothly allow guns in the luggage, they will dissuade through frustration anyone trying to transport a gun.
 
I thought only the items you carried on to a plane were x-rayed.
Click to expand...
You thought wrong.

Where do you think your bags go after you check in? In fact, at the major airports I've had the misfortune to have to fly from in recent years, after getting the bags weighed at the ticket counter, each passenger then reclaims the bags and schleps them to the TSA screening station, where they are taken possession of by the TSA screening crew and placed directly into ... the x-ray machine. At JFK, a couple or few years ago they insisted that you stand around until your bags had gone through the machine, then they allowed you to leave.

Now they look at you like Attila the Hun if you don't scram the moment they touch your first bag. :confused:
 
On my return trip home, the ticket agent didn't want to look at my revolver when I tried to show her it was unloaded. She said, "I'm afraid of those things." :banghead:
 
Rio,

unfortunately those are the EASIEST experiences...it gets tougher when some TSA agent wants to fondel your pistol which is against TSA regs...

If all they want to do is take your word for it, let you slip in your orange form and watch it go through xray...be happy about it!
 
If faced with a situation like that, the best thing is to say "Ma'am, knowledge is power - this is very simple, and I know that both of us will feel much better if we both confirm that it is unloaded."

There are LOTS of people who don't know how the things work - they probably see 'em as being similar to Harry Potter's magic wand... When they understand how they work, something subtle changes.
 
Rio, it's simply an oversight. She forgot to give you the orange card, no big deal.

No one hassled you, no one stole your property as has happened to me. You can read about my run in with TSA here: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=209034

You got off light. Remember when you fly you place your well-being into the hands of people that should be mopping floors in Wendy's.
 
Rio, it's simply an oversight. She forgot to give you the orange card, no big deal.
Click to expand...

She didn't forget. She thought the only firearms she was supposed to check were long guns.

I realize I got-off easy. I suppose I'm too easily annoyed by ignorant people. I do not suffer fools lightly.
 
On numerous occasions in Austin I've had the ticket person (both male and female) get a big smile on their face and say something like "That's a nice one." or "I've been thinking about getting one of those, how does it shoot."

A couple times in Maryland I've had to actually ask for the orange card . . . I don't think they see as many coming through there. I guess this is just another case where it is helpful to know the rules and regulations in case the people that are supposed to don't.

I once got called out before a flight because an X-ray of my bag revealed a handgun, and I guess they wanted to make sure that I had declared it. I had to actually go down to the plane taxi area near (the ground out by where they load luggage onto the plane, whatever that is called) and unlock the case so they could see the orange tag. Everyone involved was very polite and apologetic for wasting my time (although since I was just waiting to get on a plane it didn't seem like much of an inconvenience.)

I've flown with guns a lot, and overall I've had positive experiences.
 
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