TSA Reveals The Best Way To Travel Safely With A Gun When You're Flying

Have gun, will travel? Sure thing: If you're boarding an airplane for a domestic flight, you can bring your legally registered firearm along for the ride, but it must be in your checked luggage. There's a right way and a wrong way to approach the matter. The wrong way? Stuffing a loaded pistol in your carry-on, and when you're inevitably caught with it, crying out, "Gosh, golly, officer! This old thing? I forgot it was in there!"

The TSA has heard it all before, and they want you to know they aren't buying it. It's one thing to forget a water bottle in your daypack or miss one of the many ever-changing rules for carry-on luggage. But a handgun? Come on, folks. Still, the number of passengers attempting to sneak a loaded gun past Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at US airports hit a record high in 2023, as TSA screeners intercepted 6,737 undeclared firearms at security checkpoints, with law enforcement agents confiscating 451 guns in Atlanta alone. That's 7.8 firearms per million passengers, and triple the number discovered in 2014. The real shocker? 93% of those were loaded. The TSA deems a gun "loaded" if the firearm and ammunition are accessible to you. Thus, if the ammo is in your pocket while the gun is in your purse, it's considered loaded for the purpose of assessing civil penalties.

The majority of passengers who get caught trying to sneak a gun through security do try to claim they "forgot" they had the weapon. But the TSA's quite reasonable point of view on this excuse is that a responsible gun owner should know where their weapon is at all times, so lame excuses won't get you out of trouble. Turns out riding "shotgun" on an airplane just isn't a thing.

Most airlines follow TSA rules for firearm transportation, although some limit the number of weapons or quantity of ammunition, so you should always check the airline website before packing heat when you pack your bags. For good measure, print out the TSA and airline rules and have them with you in case the agent checking you in is inexperienced.

TSA rules say the firearm must be unloaded and secured in a hard-sided case designed to accommodate a lock — the case the weapon came in might not be adequate. You can include ammunition in the same case, but the ammo must be packed in the original packaging, whether it's been partially used or not. Once appropriately secured, you may include the locked case inside your checked baggage. If you're traveling with a larger firearm, such as a hunting rifle, you can check that case directly. It's worth investing in something like this TSA-approved Pelican rifle case to facilitate a smooth check-in process and ensure your weapon's safety as it bumps along through baggage handling. When it's time to pick up your checked item, it may come down the conveyor belt along with all the other suitcases, or it may be waiting for you at the oversized luggage area. 

In some circumstances, it's even possible to travel internationally with firearms, provided they are intended for sport. Olympic athletes competing in the biathlon, for example, which combines cross-country skiing and marksmanship, must bring their rifles on a plane (pictured), but to do so, they must comply with a thicket of federal and international regulations, like the Arms Export Control Act. Unless there's a gold medal at stake, it's probably not worth the hassle.

By now, everybody knows not to make jokes about explosives at an airport, right? You should use the same common sense when it comes to how you announce the presence of a firearm. Checking a rifle or pistol for the first time might make you understandably nervous, and nervous people often make jokes to dissipate the tension they're feeling, but do all you can to resist the urge. Instead, heed the advice of some experienced gun owners and approach the subject with caution when addressing airline staff. "Do not walk up to the ticket counter and say, 'Hey, I have a gun!' Bad things will happen to you," one Redditor advises in the r/Firearms forum. Others recommend using the exact phrase, "I need to declare a firearm," making sure to put the word "declare" before the word "firearm" to leave no doubt as to your cooperative, law-abiding intentions.

Should you try to sneak a gun through security, rest assured that law enforcement will be called, every time, and criminal charges and/or civil penalties may ensue. In some jurisdictions — like Jackson, Mississippi — you will be arrested on the spot, without exception. You can be fined up to $15,000. At a minimum, you're going to miss your flight, and you can kiss your TSA PreCheck approval privileges goodbye for five years. So, before you try to cowboy your way through with that .44 Magnum strapped to your hip, think again.