I usually travel with a hard-sided plastic American Tourister suitcase, which is lockable. The requirement for a separate hard-sided container to be placed within the suitcase is an airline or check-in-agent dependent matter. The federal requirement is for the gun to be within a "hard sided case", but is otherwise unspecified. As a matter of routine, I just place my gun in a plastic gun case within the larger suitcase, and place locks on BOTH. I also demand that TSA review my suitcase in my presence during check-in.
Two common problems I have encountered:
The check-in agent who demands to "inspect" the weapon to see if it is unloaded. I immediately call for a supervisor if this happens, without arguing the point. I then explain that federal law/regulation requires only that the traveler certify that the gun is unloaded by signing a declaration which is placed INSIDE the suitcase. The law does not require the traveler to demonstrate via inspection to the airline or TSA that the firearm is in fact unloaded. If they refuse to accept that, I produce the airline's own tariff (contract of carriage) and point out to the agent that such an inspection is not required by the contract of carriage. If TSA mandates an inspection, even though the regs (to my knowledge...of course TSA regs are secret
......) do not require an inspection of the weapon, I generally do not argue the point. I do refuse to handle the weapon myself, stating clearly that to do so in an airport is unsafe, and insist that TSA secure the services of an armed law enforcement officer to do the inspection, as TSA agents are not trained in the safe handling of firearms.The NEW YORK?NEW JERSEY problem. Never ever ever(!) accept a trip that routes you through/into an airport into one of those states. That is the simplest way to solve the myriad problems with traveling with weapons in those states. Spend your travel dollars in another state that respects the Constitution.
Although I have rarely had any problems traveling with a checked pistol, I always travel with a copy of the airline's contract of carriage, the TSA rules for traveling with firearms, the federal regulations and laws dealing with traveling with a firearm, and finally a copy of laws of the states into/through which I am traveling, and I never hesitate to pull them out and read them to people who don't understand them.
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