TSA reminds travelers how to legally fly with firearms
With more and more guns being found at airport checkpoints, officials are reminding flyers of how to legally travel with firearms.
The number of firearms discovered at airport check-ins nationwide has seen a steady increase over the past decade, from 803 in 2007 to 3,957 in 2017, according to the Department of Homeland Security website, and 2018 already has seen more than 2,700, Transportation Security Administration regional spokesman Mark Howell said.
In Chattanooga, four firearms have been found so far this year, most recently on July 26. Last year’s total was 10.
So what happens if you bring a firearm to the checkpoint? Well, the first thing TSA officials do is stop operations in that lane.
“Most of the time when we find a firearm at the checkpoint, the excuse we
get is, ‘Oops, I forgot it was in my bag,’” Howell said. “And 90 percent of the time, the firearm is loaded.”
For safety reasons, law enforcement will be called to remove the gun, Howell said. The airport police officer on duty will determine how to proceed at his discretion, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport spokesman Albert Waterhouse said.
The officer may criminally charge the offender for illegally attempting to carry a weapon onto a commercial air carrier, write the offender a citation to appear in court and possibly face a fine, or write the offender a warning citation.
“After that is all said and done, TSA is going to issue a civil penalty, and that can hit you pretty hard in the wallet; it’s up to $13,000 for bringing that firearm to the checkpoint,” Howell said.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your firearm with you when you fly. It just has to be packed properly in a checked bag and not accessible during a flight. You’ll also have to keep your license and carry permit with you.
The first thing to do is acquire a hard-sided firearm case, one that can be secured by locks and has padding. Soft-sided cases will not be permitted, Howell said.
Make sure all firearms are completely unloaded and ammunition is stored properly in a secure box and packed in a “steady state,” meaning it doesn’t move around in the case.
“With most airlines, the ammunition can go in the same box as the firearms, as long as the firearms are not loaded,” Howell said.
But it’s always a good idea to check individual airlines’ policies. Jet Blue, for example, requires ammunition to be packed separately, he said.
Also, travelers will have to declare the firearms at the ticket counter. It’s a card that is placed inside the case and has the owner’s contact information and signature acknowledging the transportation of the firearm.
“If a gun comes into security screening that doesn’t have a declaration card, we’re going to contact the airline and law enforcement,” Howell said.
Another tip Howell offered is to tape contact information to the outside of the case.
“That way, if there’s a problem with the way that you packed it, we can contact you quickly to make sure that you can fix the problem before your flight,” he said.
TSA officials must be able to contact the owner because they are not permitted to open a firearm case, even if it’s secured with a TSA-approved lock. And each lockable space must be secured.
“That’s one problem we see a lot, is we’ll have the long rifle case with just one lock on it, and we can unlatch it and actually pull the gun out of the end of it,” Howell said.
Staying in the ticketing area for a few extra minutes is a good idea, too, he said, in case there is an issue with packaging.
“What we don’t want you to do is go through security and then get a phone call from us that you have to fix the problem, and then go through security again,” he said.
When picking up the case, Howell noted that if it’s packed inside a regular suitcase, it’ll come out on the baggage carousel. But if it looks like a firearm case, it’ll probably be held at the airline’s oversized luggage area for security.