Women’s Outdoor News and Avery Skipalis bring you a quick video on the basics of traveling by air with your firearms and ammunition.
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Traveling with firearms and ammunition will require you to conduct advanced research and plan. First, you should research reciprocity for the areas you travel through and your final destination. Next, thoroughly review the local, state and federal laws of the places you’re traveling to and through in case you encounter a layover. If you’ve experienced this process in the past, check to make sure previous policies haven’t changed since your last visit. You should follow specific rules outlined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and each airline.
Traveling by Air
Here are a few rules for you to consider when traveling by air with firearms and ammunition:
1. Arrive at the airport early; it may take additional time to declare your firearm and ammunition.
2. To declare a firearm, you must be 18 years or older and declare your own firearms and ammunition at the ticketing counter. These items are not authorized in your carry-on bag and can not go to or through security with you.
3. Your firearm must be unloaded and placed in a locked, hard-sided container as a checked bag. If your ammunition is in its original packaging, you can keep it in the same hard-sided locked case as your firearm. Magazines can be boxed separately or stored within your case. Note that some airlines limit the ammunition you can declare up to 11 pounds.
4. Firearm replicas (that may be considered toys) and firearm parts (including firing pins and bolts) must be transported in your checked bag.
5. You will be required to sign and date a firearms declaration tag declaring the firearm is unloaded at the ticketing counter.
6. Once you reach your final destination, you must show proof of identification to an airline representative near baggage claim to claim your items.
Fly Protected
Hopefully, this article provided insight into traveling with firearms, so that you may roam without sacrificing personal protection. Want more information? Be sure to review a previous article where I covered this topic in more detail.
Avery Skipalis is the owner of Skip’s Tactical Solutions, an organization that focuses on empowering women, men and children to make sure that no one else becomes a victim. She gained her firearms experience from the military where she’s been a military firearms instructor for 10.5 years. She’s also a certified NRA rifle and pistol instructor and Glock Advanced Armorer since 2015. She’s attended Sig Sauer Academy, FNH, Special Operations Command Armorers courses as well as multiple Advanced Shooting Schools across the United States. She resides in Florida with her husband and 2 kids. She’s currently serving in the United States Air Force and loves sharing her passion with others. She thinks it’s important that women also feel like they’re in control of their own safety. View all posts by Avery Skipalis
