Lugers In Airline Checked-Bags...?
 

Now that all airlines are mandated to do a 100% check of all checked-in baggage, do you folks that travel (with lugers to gun shows) have any new worries ?

Has anyone traveled recently to report how this process will work/is working ?

Will be going to Tulsa in the Spring to buy/bring home a new C&R pistol. Just wondering if I should make other shipping arrangements to get the pistol home ?

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Pete I did this about 10 months ago and it was fine.

New rules say that baggage must be unlocked !!

Ed and Pete, I don't know the answer, but having a nice Luger in an unlocked piece of luggage would scare the hell out of me!!!

Guys,

Traveling by air with guns today looks very risky for civilians. I'll drive anywhere that I want to take my guns.

It isn't just unlocked! Last time I flew the case had to be tagged as containing a firearm. (Read, "Steal me!) After it's stolen it's your tough luck, the airline ain't going to pay for it! All this is assuming they don't smash it before somebody steals it. I once had a hard case in the center of a duffel bag of clothing and they totaled the case, nearly got the pistol.

To give a little credit to the baggage handlers, they may wait until it's lost before they steal it.

Drive, if at all practical. Or ship it to yourself. That will cost less than overweight charges if you have to put it in an extra container.

(And the airlines gripe because people try to carry on their baggage, like it's some deep mystery why they do it! I used to travel with umpty thousand in photo gear, no way it goes in the hold.))

Hello Ed,

I think 10-months ago, there was merely the chance that your checked bag might be "randomly" caught in a search protocol. As of Jan 2003, I think it was a federal mandate for all airports to check 100% of all checked-in bags; either by a technology method or by hand searching if an airport was not able to do the technology upgrade in time.

I think most of these 100% searches will occur "not in sight" of the bag's owner; rather behind the ticket counters...

Regards,

Pete...

It simply isn't worth the risk to put your valuable Lugers in an unlocked checked bag for which the airline will deny responsiblity for loss. Using Fedex to overnight it to yourself with appropriate insurance seems a much better alternative. And even then I would not send the gun intact. I would remove all the removable parts and send them separately.

Pete, John has the best solution, if the Luger is intact the law requires it to go FEDEX overnight air. If you disable it, ie; remove critical parts like the trigger, firing pin, etc. it is no longer a functioning weapon and you can send it by regular ground delivery ( much cheaper) by UPS or FEDEX. Plan ahead and have you shipping container and packing material with you, pre-addressed to yourself and then just take it to the shipper and you're ready to go. Here is come info on FEDEX and UPS policies-
http://www.seark.net/~jlove/shipping.htm

Thanks John and Herb,

Great idea to send it to myself from Tulsa...

I would still like to hear from some of the luger dealers that fly in/out of shows with many guns...?

Regards,

Pete...