It is, naturally, prohibited for someone to take a firearm on a plane. You are not allowed to travel with a gun, even if you legally purchased it and you hold all of the required permits. Firearms are one of the main things that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA_ looks for when scanning luggage and doing inspections.

But there are times when you may want to travel with a firearm. Perhaps you're going on a hunting trip, for example. Perhaps you simply carry a firearm for personal protection, which is legal, and you want to take it with you on a journey to another part of the country. Are you allowed to check the gun in order to bring it with you?

TSA has strict rules

You can often check a firearm if you are going through the airport. But the rules that TSA has in place are very strict and must be followed perfectly. For example, here is how they describe the condition your gun must be in when you bring it to the airport:

“Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only.”

Every so often, there's a case where someone brings a firearm into an airport in a different manner. For instance, someone with a concealed carry license may simply wear the gun inside and then ask to check it when they get to the counter with the rest of their luggage. But they can already be arrested for having that firearm in the airport without having it unloaded and locked in a secure container.

In other words, you can check firearms, but you can still make mistakes that lead to arrest while trying to do so. That's why it's critical that you understand all of the specifics and exactly what the authorities want you to do. If you do end up getting arrested because of a mistake or an oversight, then you need to know what legal options you have.

Schedule a Free Consultation