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Non-TSA Locks at airports for gun cases??

Luther1517

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Last weekend I flew back from CAK (Canton-Akron, Ohio) after visiting my family in Youngstown. As always, I take my Kimber with me. At the ticket counter, I declared my unloaded firearm, and opened my suit case for inspection. The young guy looks at my weapon and tells the other ticket agent "this is how is should be done, with the action locked open". He then sees my TSA lock for the gun case and says "We can no longer allow TSA approve locks on firearms cases." I about drop over. "What are talking about...When this change...How else are the guys in the back suppose to get into my gun case if they need to" I ask in rapid fire succession. About that time a TSA Supervisor hears my voice and walks over. He tells the ticket agent that the change in lock SOP is still being talked about and TSA locks are allowed. He takes me aside and explains that some airline has been making noise about the "letter of the law" that says "no one but the owner of the firearm" should have access to the firearm. And that means TSA. So there is adebate going on over our gun case locks..Should they be TSA accessible or not. I was advised to carry both kinds..just in case someone does not get the memo, or gets the wrong memo, or whatever. I fly often and know that virtually every TSA office at every airport does things differently. So be advised, next time you fly with your weapon, you may need a non-TSA lock. Then again, you may need a TSA lock. Depends on the weather, I guess.
 

xdfan

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I've checked my handgun on several flights and always used a *non*-TSA padlock on the gun case. In fact, I thought that's how it was supposed to be.

Never heard of it being proper for TSA to be able to open your gun case themselves. If they need to see it or something, they'd call you on the airport PA. Whenever possible I waited near the TSA X-ray machine until I saw my bag head out the other side and into the baggage system proper.
 

Mike

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Luther1517 wrote:
Last weekend I flew back from CAK (Canton-Akron, Ohio) after visiting my family in Youngstown. As always, I take my Kimber with me. At the ticket counter, I declared my unloaded firearm, and opened my suit case for inspection. The young guy looks at my weapon and tells the other ticket agent "this is how is should be done, with the action locked open". He then sees my TSA lock for the gun case and says "We can no longer allow TSA approve locks on firearms cases." I about drop over. "What are talking about...When this change...How else are the guys in the back suppose to get into my gun case if they need to" I ask in rapid fire succession. About that time a TSA Supervisor hears my voice and walks over. He tells the ticket agent that the change in lock SOP is still being talked about and TSA locks are allowed. He takes me aside and explains that some airline has been making noise about the "letter of the law" that says "no one but the owner of the firearm" should have access to the firearm.
It's long been the law that nobody gets the key or combination but the gun owner - NOBODY should be letting TSA or anybody have access to their cases or keys or combos or use the TSA locks. That's as bad as putting your SSN on the 4473!
 

CarryOpen

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No TSA locks on your guns. That's the one thing they are doing right.
 

wylde007

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Keeps 'em honest. The last thing they want is for a firearm to go AWOL in the "secure" (I couldn't type that with a straight face if I wanted to) area of the terminal.

The box has to be locked and accessible ONLY by you. Once they take possession of it from you, if someone else were to have physical access it would create an significant security risk.

Having non-TSA locks protects your property as much as it protects their a$$e$ from the liability that an unsecured firearm presents to them.
 

Adam H

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Mike wrote:
That's as bad as putting your SSN on the 4473!
I did that with the first gun I bought. The guy working at the store old me I didn't have to and that he didn't recommend it. Now, I don't even put it on my state security guard registration form. If it's optional to write it down, I opt not to.
 

marshaul

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Mike wrote:
Luther1517 wrote:
Last weekend I flew back from CAK (Canton-Akron, Ohio) after visiting my family in Youngstown.  As always, I take my Kimber with me.  At the ticket counter, I declared my unloaded firearm, and opened my suit case for inspection.  The young guy looks at my weapon and tells the other ticket agent "this is how is should be done, with the action locked open".  He then sees my TSA lock for the gun case and says "We can no longer allow TSA approve locks on firearms cases."  I about drop over.  "What are talking about...When this change...How else are the guys in the back suppose to get into my gun case if they need to" I ask in rapid fire succession.  About that time a TSA Supervisor hears my voice  and walks over. He tells the ticket agent that the change in lock SOP is still being talked about and TSA locks are allowed.  He takes me aside and explains that some airline has been making noise about the "letter of the law" that says "no one but the owner of the firearm" should have access to the firearm. 
It's long been the law that nobody gets the key or combination but the gun owner - NOBODY should be letting TSA or anybody have access to their cases or keys or combos or use the TSA locks.  That's as bad as putting your SSN on the 4473!
Mike's got it just right.
 

AbNo

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xdfan wrote:
I've checked my handgun on several flights and always used a *non*-TSA padlock on the gun case. In fact, I thought that's how it was supposed to be.

Never heard of it being proper for TSA to be able to open your gun case themselves. If they need to see it or something, they'd call you on the airport PA. Whenever possible I waited near the TSA X-ray machine until I saw my bag head out the other side and into the baggage system proper.

This. Both paragraphs.

When I flew from AR to Dulles, I needed a non-TSA lock.

Furthermore: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm
The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from access by anyone other than you. Cases that can be pulled open with little effort do not meet this criterion. The pictures provided here illustrate the difference between a properly packaged and an improperly packaged firearm.
 

Luther1517

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See, that shows how screwed-up this system is. Last May, I went from Greensboro to Santa Fe, NM for a Air Force reunion and on the return trip, the TSA (Thousand-Standing-Around) could not get my gun caselocks open, so they CUT the locks off. I had to drive an hour to K-mart and buy new locks and missed my flight. When I told the TSA guy in Canton that every airport does things differently, he said " that's good...it keeps the bad guys off balance".

:banghead:
 

Lawmaker

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Luther1517 wrote:
See, that shows how screwed-up this system is. Last May, I went from Greensboro to Santa Fe, NM for a Air Force reunion and on the return trip, the TSA (Thousand-Standing-Around) could not get my gun caselocks open, so they CUT the locks off. I had to drive an hour to K-mart and buy new locks and missed my flight. When I told the TSA guy in Canton that every airport does things differently, he said " that's good...it keeps the bad guys off balance".

:banghead:

Which locks did you have? TSA or non TSA?
 

Mike

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Luther1517 wrote:
See, that shows how screwed-up this system is. Last May, I went from Greensboro to Santa Fe, NM for a Air Force reunion and on the return trip, the TSA (Thousand-Standing-Around) could not get my gun caselocks open, so they CUT the locks off. I had to drive an hour to K-mart and buy new locks and missed my flight. When I told the TSA guy in Canton that every airport does things differently, he said " that's good...it keeps the bad guys off balance".

:banghead:
And you accepted this? Why not sue them or at least get TSA leadership involved to get the situation corrected?
 

marshaul

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Luther1517 wrote:
See, that shows how screwed-up this system is.  Last May, I went from Greensboro to Santa Fe, NM for a Air Force reunion and on the return trip, the TSA (Thousand-Standing-Around) could not get my gun case locks open, so they CUT the locks off.  I had to drive an hour to K-mart and buy new locks and missed my flight.  When I told the TSA guy in Canton that every airport does things differently, he said " that's good...it keeps the bad guys off balance".

:banghead:
This is so far from how it's supposed to work it isn't funny...

You're not supposed to use TSA locks for guns, and you're supposed to be the only person with the key or combo.

This means that you need to unlock the case for the TSA guys.

WTF does cutting come into it? What were they doing? What kind of procedure did they have? Were they smoking crack that day?
 

Luther1517

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They claimed to have paged me over head, and when I did not respond, they took "appropriate action" to inspect mygun case. Believe me, I spent many hours on the phone over two months trying to get reimbursed form my ticket. Dealing with TSA is infinitely worse than dealing with an airline, like in a baggage dispute. There was no way to prove that they did or did not follow procedure in trying to page me. I was guilty as charged from the get-go. That's why I was surprised to hear about the "No TSA locks" policy. I have flown cross country at least25 times in the past five years with my Kimber using TSA locks and this is the first I have heard about this. Live and learn...Lucky I did not show up on a terror watch-list....yet

:what:
 

wylde007

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Luther1517 wrote:
They claimed to have paged me over head, and when I did not respond, they took "appropriate action" to inspect mygun case. Believe me, I spent many hours on the phone over two months trying to get reimbursed form my ticket. Dealing with TSA is infinitely worse than dealing with an airline, like in a baggage dispute. There was no way to prove that they did or did not follow procedure in trying to page me. I was guilty as charged from the get-go. That's why I was surprised to hear about the "No TSA locks" policy. I have flown cross country at least25 times in the past five years with my Kimber using TSA locks and this is the first I have heard about this. Live and learn.....
Airport procedure failed. When you declare a firearm you are supposed to be immediately directed to a TSA agent who will watch YOU open the case, will inspect the contents to make sure there is no ammunition loaded into the weapon and then will watch YOU close and lock the case. YOU then take the keys and the TSA agent is supposed to log the screening and sticky the container to show it has been inspected.

The container is not supposed to EVER be opened outside of your direct supervision. EVER. Someone should lose their job for that. Seriously. It's not bad enough that they disarm us all and put us on planes with hundreds of potential terrorists and domestic activists, but we have to be rendered defenseless for the entirety of our journeys... and THEN they violate their own rules by performing a procedural hatchet job by opening YOUR locked container outside of YOUR presence?

I'm incredulous.
 

AbNo

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wylde007 wrote:
Airport procedure failed. When you declare a firearm you are supposed to be immediately directed to a TSA agent who will watch YOU open the case, will inspect the contents to make sure there is no ammunition loaded into the weapon and then will watch YOU close and lock the case. YOU then take the keys and the TSA agent is supposed to log the screening and sticky the container to show it has been inspected
That's how they did it the last time I flew.
 
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