In stark contrast with the requirement that TSA be able to open your luggage (unlocked or backdoored), if you declare a firearm in your checked luggage the TSA cannot - by law - have the means to open your [hard-shell] luggage, YOU must retain the key or combination and must be present to open it when inspected.
(Of course, traveling legally with a gun has its own litany of issues, but for those of us who are OK with the basic concept may find doing so helpful against TSA's security theater.)
Many photographers travel with a flare gun or starter pistol in their equipment case specifically for this reason. The $10/hour grunt workers can't get access to your super-expensive equipment if you're transporting a gun and have the case properly secured.
Be sure to read up on the specifics and downsides before doing this... there are still plenty of horror stories (though instead of equipment theft/damage the stories are more about bureaucratic snafus).
It doesn't make your equipment any safer, guns are stolen from US airports all the time:
Although the law requires guns to be carried in locked, hard-sided cases, baggage handlers have no problem getting into such luggage, he said.
The other possibility, experts said, is that TSA screeners who X-ray or inspect bags by hand could be pocketing the guns.
Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-08-14/news/060814020...
It reduces the odds of theft by making it harder to open the case (only the owner unlocks it, no backdoor key), formalizes its inspection (only opened when owner present), and raises the stakes of theft (stealing a camera is one thing, stealing a gun garners much harsher punishment and gets more dedicated authorities involved).
Yes, anything can be stolen (whole luggage even). Put in a real case, with a serious lock, which legally cannot be opened without you, and you've significantly improved the odds of seeing that camera (and "bodyguard" gun) again.
Just because improving the odds didn't reach 0.0 doesn't mean it's 1.0.
As I said, "traveling legally with a gun has its own litany of issues". Guns are legal in all states (NY included), with limitations. A Henry or Marlin Papoose .22LR will break down into a very small package, and are legal in pretty much any state without paperwork.
Your bag gets hand-inspected by a TSA agent with you present. They'll ensure the weapon is packed securely and that the ammo is in original factory boxes (meets ORM-D requirements). So you can't declare a weapon without actually having one.
Note that "packed securely" can have different meanings at different airports. There isn't a uniform standard or branding on cases that meet airline and TSA requirements for weapon transport. But you'll have the fewest problems with a Pelican that is fully locked.
No. They will make you open the case and show the gun is safe/unloaded. They then affix a tag to the gun, which declares that there is, in fact, a gun in this case (with the tag inside the case, a rather surreal requirement).
Inconsistent. No airport I use regularly does chamber checks anymore, and I routinely fly with handguns and sometimes rifles.
At LAS they don't even do a TSA screen. They put a tag in he bag at gate and just use X-ray on the bags later. They will call you at the terminal over PA if there is an issue.
I concur. I've flown several times per year for the past five years or so, and almost always check at least one firearm. I am asked to open the case about 80% of the time, and I've never been asked to demonstrate that the firearm was unloaded.
Also note that TSA allows you to carry ammunition loaded in a magazine, which may be in the same case as the firearm. I usually check a Glock 31 with three loaded magazines in the case.
In stark contrast with the requirement that TSA be able to open your luggage (unlocked or backdoored), if you declare a firearm in your checked luggage the TSA cannot - by law - have the means to open your [hard-shell] luggage, YOU must retain the key or combination and must be present to open it when inspected.
(Of course, traveling legally with a gun has its own litany of issues, but for those of us who are OK with the basic concept may find doing so helpful against TSA's security theater.)