Anyone recently check a rifle at DEN? What’s the TSA process after declaring it and checking your rifle case with the airline (TuffPak for me with NO TSA lock)? Next week I’m flying Delta Airlines from DEN-ATL-JNB. Normally depart from IAH, which is a breeze. No experience with DEN TSA and rifles. Tnx!

TSA is Federal...
There should be zero difference between airports..(people maybe occasionally)
Lately...you check at airline counter and lock it..TSA takes it and doesn't open again...
Used to be you would accompany TSA and they would check again then you would lock....
Bottom line.. doesn't matter...
Go...declare it at the counter...they should check and you put the tag into your case...
TSA takes and if they don't..,they check it one more time...

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TSA is Federal...There should be zero difference between airports..(people maybe occasionally)

I've not found that to be the case. I don't fly with guns as much as some members here do but I've checked guns in at Philadelphia, New York, Washington (Dulles in VA) and Bismarck ND. The interaction with TSA was different at every airport.

Inconsistency in the TSA process has been my experience as well, thus the reason for the question. In fact, at IAH, the TSA process depends on the departure terminal. Inconsistency among the federal agencies is the norm, not the exception, whether departing or arriving, whether TSA or CBP.


I've not found that to be the case. I don't fly with guns as much as some members here do but I've checked guns in at Philadelphia, New York, Washington (Dulles in VA) and Bismarck ND. The interaction with TSA was different at every airport.[/QUOTE]

I have checked guns several times at Denver, most recently on September 9th. I haven't flown with Delta but most likely you will go to the ticket counter and they will take you to the front of the line and check you in, put a card in your case and escort you to TSA and you will wait outside while they X ray your case, they may or may not ask you for the key to inspect the inside. After this the escort that took you over will take your case and off you go to clear security and head towards your gate. I found it to be one of the most simple airports to clear. Definitely better than JFK where we had to open our case's 3 times and my brother ultimately missed our connection, causing big problems since I live 3 hours from the airport. I would be prepared to pack and unpack your tuffpak for inspection by various authorities multiple times during your travels.


good luck

Gale Johnson

I've flown out of Denver many times with firearms. Declare them at check in, they will escort you to TSA, TSA may or may not want your keys to check your gun case. Not any worse than anywhere else.

I also find each airline/airport tends to be different in how they handle firearms. A couple of months ago I flew Emirates/SA Airlink DFW/Dubai/JNB/Tete Mozambique. I had checked with the travel agency to make sure I could check my baggage from DFW to Tete to avoid having to do the in-transit import into South Africa for a 5 hour layover at JNB. I also called Emirates DFW to arrange my limo pick up and tried to confirm that I could check the luggage through to Tete but they indicted they did not know what the Emirates policy was or anyone I could talk to that would know the policy. Upon arrival at the Emirates counter at DFW the Emirates agent was emphatic that Emirates did not have any way to transfer from Emirates to South African airways at JNB. This could have created a HUGE problem as that forced me to collect my luggage and import my rifle into SA upon arrival at JNB. I contacted the outfitter's office and they had Henry waiting for me at JNB and all went well. It turned out my travel agent had contacted Emirates directly and Emirates could have checked the luggage all the way through. I should be noted the luggage was checked all the way through from Tete to DFW on my return even though I spent the night in Johannesburg.

However, on the Emirates flight to Dubai I listened to an in flight entertainment interview with the Emirates President. A portion of that interview was the Emirates President articulated his position that hunting was "barbaric". I hope his position is not the reason I had the problem at DFW but it does have me reevaluating who I will fly with on my next hunt.

With respect to the TSA process at DFW, an Emirates gate agent walked me to TSA with my non-TSA lock Tuffpak. The TSA agent asked me to open the Tuffpak because he thought it was golf clubs. When the TSA agent found out it was a rifle he said it did not need to be unlocked, checked it with an explosive swab, scanned it and I was though the TSA process in less than 5 minutes.

On every trip I have had to remove the rifle(s) numerous times at airports. This can be difficult with a Tuffpak so I pack the rifle(s) in soft cases that remain in the Tuffpak when the rifle is removed. I put a folded jacket in the open end of the Tuffpak. I can remove the jacket, unzip the end of the soft case, and pull the rifle out without disturbing anything else in the Tuffpak This expedites the process and the soft cases can be used to protect the rifle in the safari vehicles.

I went back and checked my notes on the Emirates interview with their President Sir Tim Clark. What he said in the interview was Emirates has banned the transportation of trophies and "Trophy hunting makes no sense … outright slaughter … no right to do anything like that".

At this time of year with the deer and elk sesons going on half the people in Denver are carrying gun cases. Haven't flown out of there in years but should be no problem. Interestingly I have flown out of SFO the last few times and it has been surprisingly trouble free. Did have to show a TSA agent how to verify that a bolt action was unloaded though.

As Mentioned pack your tuff-pak so the you are able to remove you rifle with out removing the soft case.

different airports have different operating rules. Some TSA agents let you observe and others do not. The one i currently fly out of does not. I have had my tuff-pak dumped out to check my rifle, which had the bolt removed. from the scan and actual inspection they could not determine if the gun was loaded or unloaded. therefore the local city police was called to come to the airport to make an inspection. when the police officer arrived, they had to wait about 15 to 20 minuted before they were allowed to enter the scanning area. the came out 2 minutes later very perturbed at being call to inspect a rifle with no bolt in the action.

the local airport had inspected every firearm that i have flown with, most of the time they just want to see what my guns look like.

In the five trips I have taken to Africa this century on three different airlines, I have had different experiences on each trip. Each time, I have asked TSA if they want to open the case for inspection, and they have said "No.", every time. After swabbing the outside, they have sent the case through, and twice the TuffPak has been broken into, "inspected", and a note left inside with no legible inspector marks. This year, (June), I told the TSA agent at LAX about my experiences, and specifically asked if there was any way I could avoid this problem. The agent said that he would accompany my TuffPak to the scanner, and if the machine "alarmed" he would bring it back to me so the case could be opened and the contents inspected. A few minutes later, the agent returned and told me there had been no problem. All went well, but after overnighting in Dubai, an Emirates agent had to determine that I was the owner of the TuffPak, and was actually getting on the flight. That delay almost made me miss the flight.

The lack of standardization and incompetence is emblematic of ANYTHING run by civil servants. The ENTIRE TSA process is nothing more than optics and a "rice bowl" for democrats to employ their voters. It's like a paper house with a steel door. Nothing but optics..

I flew out of DIA in Sep with a rifle with United. I inform the first United rep that I saw, that I have a firearm.

She directed me to a specific line for special services.

After opening the case, and inserting the signed, unloaded firearms notice. I locked the case and waited for a porter, who escorted me and the case to a TSA checkpoint.

At the checkpoint I gave my keys to the porter who handed them to a TSA rep, who opened the case, did a quick check, inserted a TSA security check notice, and then relocked the case.

The keys were returned to me, and the porter and I then went outside to the oversize luggage drop off where the gun case was deposited.

Upon return, the gun case was brought to the oversize luggage pick up counter near the baggage carrasoul.

Happy travels!

BH63

In NY, the airlines call the police, you open the case, they check that the gun is unloaded then march you off to TSA who runs it through their scanner and off you go. Never had any problems!

DIA makes it very easy and I have never had an issue.

Bush in Houston is the worst airport I have ever experienced on a consistent basis.

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Did have to show a TSA agent how to verify that a bolt action was unloaded though.

I had to show an agent in Frankfurt that my DB shotgun - taken down into 3 pieces - was unloaded.

k

Flying on delta this year to Zimbabwe was a piece of cake out of DFW. Agent didn’t care to check the case, was accommodating in checking only to JNB where I was overnighting (ticketed through to BUQ), and really polite and friendly through the whole process (I was actually shocked how smooth the process went). BUQ wasn’t to terrible either on the way home and the guy checking that my rifle was unloaded even seemed to know how, which shocked me since I’ve shown my fair share of TSA folk how in the USA.

The one irony is everyone complains about how the airport staff in Africa ask for tips (very blatantly too). I found myself wishing the staff at Atlanta wanted tips as maybe it would motivate them to move faster! Man they are slow, less than five minutes to clear customs thanks to global entry and another 30 waiting outside the firearms claim area for someone “official” to arrive despite everyone’s rifles having been unloaded 20 minutes ago.

When re-entering the USA with a rifle, I recommend a connection time of at least 2 and a half hours at Atlanta.

With a 2 hour connect time I made it to the gate with 5 minutes before boarding was closed. Atlanta sucks for recently with guns.

BH63