Originally Posted by
SATTSO
I disagree. There are multiple processes to screen checked firearms.
I would like to point out something that no one has mentioned, because the odds of it happening are very rare. I have heard people state that to prevent theft throw a gun into the bag, thus the bag is checked in front of you, and so on. Ok, lets say that works, and often it will.
But what happens when and if you bag is put on the wrong plane, unloaded at another destination, and when the airline employees realize it, submit it for re-inspection by TSA, the lock is cut off, the gun found - and now your luggage can not go, stuck in an airport you are not.
As example, today I had to screen bags that the airline put on the wrong plane, then waited at the baggage claim area before the airline employees realized were put on the incorrect flight. So the bags had to be rescreened before being flown to their original destination. It doesn't happen often, but considering how many hundreds of thousands of people who fly in a single day, I would guess it happens thousand of times a day around the country.
I realize this is off topic, just wanted to throw this out there to make sure your aware of the possibility. Have fun discussing it by yourselves.
Add: the other day I remember having to screen a baby carriage that was put on the wrong flight. Family got it the follow day. Felt bad for them.
I've had that situation occur, but in my case, the luggage was sent on to the correct airport without it being molested by the TSA.
Upon landing, and not finding my luggage, I immediately let the AA baggage people know that a bag with a firearm inside it was missing. You should have seen the firedrill that ensued. I've never seen so many AA supervisors in one place. I never bothered to tell them that it was a flare gun.
A few hours later the luggage was delivered to my hotel, undamaged, and locks intact. The fact that my locks were hardened boron steel probably had something to do with them being intact.