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Checking a firearm at Baltimore Airport

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utbagpiper

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Two quick questions for the residents of Maryland, or the surrounding areas who fly out of Baltimore.

I've got an upcoming trip planned to Virginia. Between a permit and legally permitted OC, I'm well covered there.

However, due to flight schedules, I'm spending my last night in Baltimore before flying out of the Baltimore airport. I do not have any permit recognized by the State of Maryland.

Here are my two questions:

1-Am I legal, or what can I do to be legal, with a firearm in Maryland? If it is unloaded and cased am I ok? Can the ammo be in the case with the firearm? I normally just travel with a couple of full magazines top down in a nylon belt holder. When I put that inside the gun case, I never have issues with the airports I normally use.

2-Any insights or experiences checking a gun at the Baltimore airport? How much of a delay? Any problems to expect?

Thanks all.
 
Dreamer

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I'd reschedule the flight through Dulles, and avoid BWI altogether. It's a crappy airport, has lousy food, and the parking is ridiculous. Plus the roads in and out of BWI are a clusterf#@%.

And that is BEFORE you even consider the oppressive firearms laws in MD.

If you can, you're probably better off re-scheduling through Dulles, even if it costs more. Better to spend a little more money on an easy flight than to get the "bums rush" by some 2A-hostile Rent-a-Cops in the People's Republic of MD...
 
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ianto94

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I flew through BWI to the west coast recently and BWI failed to follow TSA rules for checked firearms. Of the four airports I flew through, only SFO followed the correct TSA procedure of hand carrying with me the bag to TSA to check. On previous trips DCA and IAD followed the correct procedure.

With respect to Maryland law, it is not clear that would not be violating their bizarre prohibition on transporting a firearm if you spent the night in Maryland before your flight. I agree, go out of IAD or DCA both of which are located in Virginia.
 
VAopencarry

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I've been to BWI dozens of times and never encountered traffic jams or parking problems.

utah,

Your problem ,legally, will be the overnighting in a hotel. I am not an expert but I don't recall there being any exception made for this circumstance. If you were going straight to BWI, unloaded, cased, not accessible you would be ok.

Call the airline and ask how they want you to package it, though they all should be the same, in reality I do not think they are.
 
Sig229

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I have flown in and out of BWI many times with both handguns and rifles. Sometimes both at once including ammo.

Just follow the FFA rules and you will be good to go. I only had a few dirty looks from the Nazi like police officers at BWI, but they didn't say or do anything (they couldn't anyhow).

And now that I think about it, I got sorta special treatment because I had firearms.

Dont worry about it. I know its Maryland, but so long as you follow the FAA rules you will be 100 % A-OK!

Just make sure the guns are NOT loaded and they are in a lockable (padlock) hard case.
 
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SlackwareRobert

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Sig229 wrote:
I have flown in and out of BWI many times with both handguns and rifles. Sometimes both at once including ammo.

Just follow the FFA rules and you will be good to go. I only had a few dirty looks from the Nazi like police officers at BWI, but they didn't say or do anything (they couldn't anyhow).

And now that I think about it, I got sorta special treatment because I had firearms.

Dont worry about it. I know its Maryland, but so long as you follow the FAA rules you will be 100 % A-OK!

Just make sure the guns are NOT loaded and they are in a lockable (padlock) hard case.
Click to expand...
How do you lock a case that isn't allowed to be locked?
I was under the impression that you could no longer lock luggage.
 
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ianto94

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That is why the airline is required to have youhand carry the case with their rep over to TSA for inspection. Then the case is locked with no one but the owner having the key.
 
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SlackwareRobert

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ianto94 wrote:
That is why the airline is required to have youhand carry the case with their rep over to TSA for inspection. Then the case is locked with no one but the owner having the key.
Click to expand...
OK, so you get inspected, lock your gun case, get a soda and wait for flight.
Baltimore is probably close enough to the other idiot 'intruder' airports.
How do they recheck your case after the lockdown?

Fortunately, with the current delays, it is faster and easier to drive,
and I can go to the bathroom, and put a hand in my lap in the last hour
of my trip. :lol:
Although the planeload of HS cheerleaders I was forced to fly with in the
mid 90's wasn't much of a hardship for me. eye candy drowns out noise very well.
 
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ianto94

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No you lock your gun case and suitcase. It goes with you to TSA and if TSA needs to get in it you open it. That is TSA procedure. BWI failed to follow that procedure when I went through last time. AA told me to stick around and if TSA needed to open it they would advise. I was not too happy with that process.
 
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Elkad

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Some people are actually using the locked guns rule to secure their luggage (especially if they carry multiple laptops, cameras, etc).

Throw a cheap pistol in each case. Lock it up.

http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/

Can't comment on the MD issues though. If it's like Newark, you might be better abandoning the case for the night and then claiming it from lost luggage the next day (or seeing if you can check it thru to your next flight). That way it never left airport property.
 
Dreamer

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To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
 
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utbagpiper

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Dreamer wrote:
To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
Click to expand...
Did not end up traveling with the guns this trip. The overnight in Maryland before the flight out of BWI, and a lot of time spent in the district made me decide against the hassle this time.
 
Gray Peterson

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utbagpiper wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
Click to expand...
Did not end up traveling with the guns this trip. The overnight in Maryland before the flight out of BWI, and a lot of time spent in the district made me decide against the hassle this time.
Click to expand...
Good thing you did. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals essentially nullified FOPA protections for anything outside of vehicles.
 
swinokur

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Gray Peterson wrote:
utbagpiper wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
Click to expand...
Did not end up traveling with the guns this trip. The overnight in Maryland before the flight out of BWI, and a lot of time spent in the district made me decide against the hassle this time.
Click to expand...
Good thing you did. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals essentially nullified FOPA protections for anything outside of vehicles.
Click to expand...
MD is in the 4th circuit. Are 3rd circuit decisions binding on the 4th circuit until decided on appeal?
 
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ianto94

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swinokur wrote:
Gray Peterson wrote:
utbagpiper wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
Click to expand...
Did not end up traveling with the guns this trip. The overnight in Maryland before the flight out of BWI, and a lot of time spent in the district made me decide against the hassle this time.
Click to expand...
Good thing you did. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals essentially nullified FOPA protections for anything outside of vehicles.
Click to expand...
MD is in the 4th circuit. Are 3rd circuit decisions binding on the 4th circuit until decided on appeal?
Click to expand...
Can you give a citation?
 
swinokur

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ianto94 wrote:
swinokur wrote:
Gray Peterson wrote:
utbagpiper wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
To the OP, utbagpiper, please let us know how it goes for you. We'd all LOVE to hear a full report of your experience, after your trip.
Click to expand...
Did not end up traveling with the guns this trip. The overnight in Maryland before the flight out of BWI, and a lot of time spent in the district made me decide against the hassle this time.
Click to expand...
Good thing you did. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals essentially nullified FOPA protections for anything outside of vehicles.
Click to expand...
MD is in the 4th circuit. Are 3rd circuit decisions binding on the 4th circuit until decided on appeal?
Click to expand...
Can you give a citation?
Click to expand...
No I'm asking the question. Are 3rd circuit rulings binding in an area in the 4th circuit?
 
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ianto94

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The answer is no. 3rd circuit decisions are not binding on the 4th circuit. Sorry I meant to ask the question of the previous poster.
 
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SlackwareRobert

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ianto94 wrote:
The answer is no. 3rd circuit decisions are not binding on the 4th circuit. Sorry I meant to ask the question of the previous poster.
Click to expand...
Then why was the second circuit opinion on their national parks binding on the 11th
down here in our parks?
 
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ianto94

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I assume you mean the DC District Court opinion, but if you are familiar with a second circuit case on National parks carry then let me know the cite. The short answer is the DC District court was reviewing a Park Service regulation and it set aside the regulation and sent it back to the Interior Dept for reconsideration. It was binding because the regulation was no more after the decision. That is a construct of administrative law that does not necessarily apply to a court finding a statute unconstitutional. The third circuit opinion-- and I have not seen the cite of the case discussed in this thread -- deals with an interpretation of federal law. That interpretation is not binding on any other circuit, but might be persuasive. The third circuit opinion would be binding only in the third circuit.
 
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