Thinking Man's Corner

Article By: William G.

Check all firearms laws while traveling out of your jurisdiction, including for those areas that you are just passing through. HR 218/LEOSA is a good idea, but it’s not as simple as it may seem on face value. There are some key things that go with it. Your gun MUST be concealed. It does not cover magazine capacity (You may travel through a jurisdiction by rail or car that has a magazine capacity restriction, if you don’t stop along the way, you are legal when you begin and end at your destination. If not, you are breaking the law, and can be prosecuted for that 11+ round magazine, even if you stop to eat or get gas while just driving through. This complicates matters, and makes a G48, Sig P365, 1911, or a revolver a good choice for traveling.

However, the law does allow for expanding or hollow point ammunition (even in jurisdictions that expanding ammo is prohibited by state law). It does not cover knives, aerosol restraints, or impact weapons. It does not give you carte blanche to carry in restricted areas such as judicial, and federal properties (or schools, or….). Some states allow signage on private property to hold the weight of law. (If you are in Georgia, and a private business has a NO GUNS signs up, the most that can happen if you are caught with one, is that you can be asked to leave, and if you don’t you can be charged with criminal trespass. However, in some states, you can be criminally charged with a weapons violation for carrying in a private establishment with a no weapons sign,
so check before you go.) You must have the proper agency Picture ID (that identifies you as a law enforcement officer), but your badge is not required. You must be in good standing with your agency and current with firearms qualifications as a current peace officer, and even as a retired peace officer.

Having gotten that out of the way, lets first dive into flying with a gun. Except for flying while armed, which is at the specific request of your agency and must be done through a specific protocol, you are prohibited by law from trying to bring a firearm through security or onto an aircraft. The law, and airline policy allows you to transport your firearm in checked baggage in a certain manner. There are certain requirements, and what I have found to make things easier is:
The gun must be unloaded, and stored in a hard side case, that is locked. The gun case may be a separate item or itself carried in a suitcase or roller bag. The suitcase should be locked as well, and ammunition should be carried in the factory box. The ammunition need not be separate from the gun but, unlike the gun, can be stored in the suitcase. I like pelican, and do not use the TSA locks on the actual gun case. You are not permitted to give your combination or key to anyone and if TSA wants to check your bag, they will call your after you check it. I use hardened security locks. If someone wants to steal my gun from the baggage, they are going to have to work for it. Additionally, I run a cable lock through the barrel, and mag well, to make it more of a inconvenience for dishonest persons. That also makes it simple for TSA to see that the gun is unloaded, which is what they are checking for. I put a copy of my business card in the case with the gun. Anything that gives a thief extra pause, is a good thing. The suitcase gets regular TSA locks.

You must alert the airline to the presence of the gun at the checked baggage counter, and speak with an actual agent. So, get to the airport a little bit earlier. When you approach them with your driver’s license, also have your agency picture ID with it, although your ID is not necessary. Simply say that you would like to “declare an unloaded firearm, locked inside the luggage.” They will generally say they want to see it. I position myself to where other people in line cannot see what I am doing, as I don’t like advertising that I am a cop to hundreds of people, whose intentions I do not know.

The airline employee will require you to fill out a bright orange declaration card which says the gun is unloaded. The card goes INSIDE the case containing the gun, by law. I have encountered a few that wanted to put it on the outside. Don’t do that, as you are advertising to everyone there is a gun inside. From there, either they will point you to a special TSA screening area, or walk over with you. TSA will put it in a scanner, and then tell you that you are good to go to standard screening. Some smaller airports will put the suitcase directly on the belt going to the back, and tell you to wait around for another 10-20 minutes and listen for you name on the PA. If you don’t hear it called, you can go to the regular screening line. *It may also be a good idea to conceal a tracking device, such as an air tag, in the gun case. These do not interfere with the guidance or
electronics on the aircraft, and can save you a lot of time and hassle if you have to deal with dishonest or lazy airline employees, or those that hate freedom.

Once you come out the other end of your flight, generally, you will have to go to the airline office, next to baggage claim, to get your bag. If you fly one specific airline, be aware, they have a nasty habit of running zip ties through your bags to keep you from accessing the gun in the airport. You can fly with flex cuff cutters on your person or carry on bag. So, that will save you some hassle and aggravation. There is no rationale reason for them to do this to someone that has gone through all the steps necessary to transport a gun via air, and does absolutely nothing to make anyone safer. If anything, it actually is putting you in danger should you not be able to access it readily, and gear up prior to going through the transitional spaces surrounding airports, with the specific criminal element that chooses that as their watering hole.

Once you get your luggage, should you choose to arm yourself, which is absolutely your right, be cautious to not bring attention to yourself. When discreetly loading your gun in an airport restroom, a snub nose revolver makes a lot less noise than the conspicuous racking of the slide on a semi automatic. If you do carry an auto, be aware of the noise it will make, and realize that it is highly possible to draw attention to yourself, which may get you a meeting with the local constabulary. If you are taking a taxi, you may have no choice, but to arm yourself, discreetly, prior to getting in that car. However, you can also choose to carry with an empty chamber until you get to the hotel, but that is an individual decision. If you have a rental car, consider, at least putting on the holster prior to getting into your car. Also, be mindful, that most rental car pick up places are filled with cameras. Discretion while arming yourself is still paramount.

How about waiting until you get to the hotel, or somewhere else to put your gun on? That one is on you as well. Why did you feel the need to bring your gun in the first place? Maybe because you see how evil some people are, and are intelligent enough to know that guns are necessary to ensure your survival. You may also realize that airports generally are not in good neighborhoods, and you don’t necessarily want to be fumbling around in a parking lot of a high crime area with a gun out.

If one were to think outside the box, you might notice that many high end hotels are also located just outside the airport. They have paid, secured parking. If you are there less than 15-30 minutes, you usually do not have to pay for parking. Maybe get your bag, get your car, go to a secured parking lot of a hotel right outside the airport, arm yourself, and go about your business. Just an idea that may work for you.

Be cautious of wearing clothing that advertises firearms or that you are a cop. It’s not a good idea many places and certainly not when traveling far away. Remember, that you are off duty, and out of your jurisdiction (possibly even your state) you are not a cop as far as the local constabulary are concerned. I cannot tell anyone how they should react to a violent crime that is not directed at them or someone in your immediate care, but can only provide caution. The law was enacted in 2004, and the spirit of that law was to vastly increase the number of trained and armed professionals throughout the country to counter violence. All I am saying is that you should be very certain of what you are getting into if you choose to take any deadly force action, though that is anywhere at anytime. Out of your jurisdiction you will not have back up or qualified immunity and are subject to the local use of force laws.

LEOSA is a wonderful law, but not all law enforcement across the country is familiar with it. You may consider printing off what the law actually says in case you encounter an officer that is not aware of its intricacies. Be forewarned there are some jurisdictions that know about the law and simply do not care. They do not want anyone that is not one of their own carrying a gun. Some will arrest you out of spite, and you will be in for an uphill battle going back and forth out of state to court. Sadly, this has happened. I’d suggest looking up the specific cases I order to conduct more research. Be professional, judicious, and careful. Take everything into consideration, and live your life.