Hello all,

Next June, I will be flying to Johannesburg on South African Airways through JFK in New York. I will be arriving at JFK and I will have to spend the night until the the SAA flight departs the following day. Is there anything special that I have to do in New York since I'll be carrying a pair of rifles in a locked case?

I've flown through other airports on my way to South Africa without issue but I'm nervous about New York. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thank you!

I had no issues whatsoever. Took them to our hotel and back again to the check in counter at JFK.

Dutch

No problem. Have done it many times when I stayed at hotels near the airport. I might also add that NYPD has been very informed and very helpful when firearms are checked in at the airport, real professionals every time. You will be fine, no need to worry.

I've only flown that way once and there were no issues at all other than having the check in with firearms routine again.

It is NOT NYPD at JFK nor LaGuardia for that matter,
nor Newark Liberty Airport, nor Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
It is The Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey
at the FOUR airports above. They are NOT under NYPD, nor any other
Law Enforcement organization. They have been sued numerous times
regarding arrests made of persons traveling with firearms. Federal
law protects travelers going through states with guns as long as
the traveler had been legally possessing the guns in his home
state, and it is legal for said traveler to possess guns at his
destination, as long as the traveling is UNINTERUPTED! So you CAN'T
go up to NY City and visit family for a week, then go with your guns
to the airport and over to Africa.

The legal question comes in when you shrink that gap time down.
Will 5 or 6 days screw you? Heck YES if you're staying within NEW YORK
or New Jersey! Three days? You know it! TWO days, you and the wife leave
guns at hotel catch a Broadway show have dinner then go back to hotel.
Next day you shop a mall and hang at the pool, next day you fly to Africa.
ABSOLUTELY Bad!!! ONE DAY? I'm telling you, if you could have moved
through those two states faster than you did, if you went to a museam,
a ball game, on a sight seeing bus ride, etc., you ARE GAMBLING YOUR
TRIP, YOUR FREEDOM, YOUR HAPPINESS and so on!!!!!!! Call the Port Authority
and ask for police at 212-435-7000 and push for a police supervisor to
take your call, get the supervisor's NAME and shield number, and get the
spelling right. PROTECT YOURSELF! You won't regret it!

I would not be very eager to go spend a night at a nyc hotel with a firearm.

Not sure nypd would look at staying overnight as transit as you are no longer at jfk.

Nyc has some very convoluted firearm laws and. I used to have a nyc rifle and shotgun permit.

In my travels with firearms now i steer clear of nyc.

Most likely you will not have any issues. But in the remote chance you run into nypd on your transit to hotel for an overnight in would put a real damper in your trip.

D r hunter is correct that at jfk newark lga you are dealing with port authority

My experience with then has been good but many times i have been met by port authority police that did not know how a bolt action rifle operated. Port authority police are pretty familiar with guns and hunters on the saa flights.

Nypd outside airport jurisdiction will be a whole different beast.

Minute you leave airport and your guns are in a locked case but dont have an individual gun lock on them you will be violating nyc firearms law.

Nyc gun laws are a joke and nypd as a institution hates guns, gun ownership and gun rights.

For what it is worth…
Many years ago I returned from Zim and landed at NYC. After I cleared customs I was not allowed to take my rifle case to the domestic carrier to return to Alaska unless I had a permit from my home state to legally possess firearms. Problem is Alaska does not require a permit for any firearm and I'm thankful I had a several hour layover as arguments and computer searches proved I was correct and I was reluctantly allowed to go on.

Like so much that happens at airports with the current TSA it is depending on the attitude of the person you are speaking to. With my experience there and hearing of other anti gun cities, I avoid them when I travel and tell my travel agent to find another route.
Cal

Jim
If you stay in NYC your guns will be illegal all long guns and hand guns have to be registered in NYC. You need to stay at a hotel in Nassau County Long island or New Jersey. All it takes is one asshole cop and your life will be hell. Kennedy has a lot of anti-hunters who remove tags off gun cases. make sure you write all your travel information ,cell phone number and that there are extra locks in your gun case on your gun case with one of those see through packing slip holders.

Thank you all for your responses and advice. This gives me a lot to think about. I'll talk to the Port Authority Police. Maybe I should forego my evening at the La Quinta Inn and just sleep at the airport until SAA boards. I can tough it out.

Like Alaska, Oregon doesn't have a document showing legal ownership of a firearm (that I know of!). I should get a document from law enforcement stating this fact, just in case I'm challenged like Cal was.

cnm123, I had planned on staying in a hotel at 111-26 Van Wyck Expwy, Ozone Park, NY (La Quinta Inn). Is this considered New York City? This is my first time through this part of the country.

Jim:
Do this: stay at the airport and check into the first class lounge for any of the major airlines. For $50 it is less than a hotel, no taxi expense, no worries about the firearms, and you get food, drinks, shower, and a comfortable chair to nap in and even a quiet corner on the floor to stretch out.
Cal

unfortunately a lot of first/business lounges close about 11PM and reopen at 5-6AM. make damn sure you check with the airline about operating hours. i have been evicted from several in the past…..also, not all airlines sell 1 day passes.

Jim
Cal's advice sounds like a good idea. Ozone Park is in Queens a part of NYC.
Good hunting to you also
Chris

I don't know and have never done it.
I have heard from others they flew out of Atlanta rather than NYC just because of this bullshit. Might be worth looking into and having routes changed to somewhere else. IF it's not too late. Don't sound like it is.
Wish you well, and be sure to let us know how things worked out.
George

I just did it in September and there were no issues whatsoever. The NYS law specifically excludes travel with a firearm through NYC.

I used "Travel with Guns" for my recent trip and their dossier had an entire page that fully spelled out the NYS law pertaining to travel through JFK with a firearm. You could show the page to an offending officer and he wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Again, not an issue.

Ozone park is NYC.

Staying at the airport legally would be the safest from running afoul of any NYC firearm rules.

Steve at Travel with guns is great - I use him for all my hunting related travels.

But I did not take the risk on being with a firearm in NYC - especially when I had a NYC rifle and pistol permit and the specific gun was once registered in NYC.

I dont think anyone in NYPD (who in the remote case) stops you with a gun is going to let you off if you show them a travel dossier. If they think you have a illegal firearm - they will haul you off to the local booking station. You will eventually get off but it ain't worth the pain.

I think if you are going to stay in NY/JFK area - get a car service and go spend a night at a hotel in Long Island and have a car service bring you back. The $100 for car service are worth it - you will be transiting out and in of JFK on each leg.

The possibility of running afoul of NYPD is remote - they don't randomly check cars leaving JFK. My fear in NYC always is that if they stop you in the remote circumstance and firearm comes up - the process of NYPD is always assume its illegal and there is zero flexibility regarding firearms.

No one will call and say we have a firearm but it is a break down double in 470 and the guy is headed to Africa tomorrow. The line will always be illegal gun in NYC - to the booking station. Then down the road you will get off - that to me just ain't worth it.

Spend $100 on car service and get a better cheaper hotel room in Long Island.

If you can revise your flight plan to leave from Atlanta or Washington-Dulles the concern will be negated. Despite the implication, WD is in Virginia which, despite political deterioration, is still a Second Amendment friendly commonwealth.

Great comments! Is "Travel with Guns" a company like Air2000 in South African? If so, does anyone have their contact information? I'm having a little trouble finding "Travel with Guns" in New York on Google.

Thank you!

Jim - Travel with Guns, Steve Turner is located in San Antonio Texas and is a travel agent specializing in overseas travel.

I am assuming there is no time for you to arrive at JFK on the day of departure and avoid the overnight there? I managed to leave Albuquerque, and arrive JFK with a four hour layover the same morning as the flight left. Used Jet Blue ABQ to JFK.

Larry Sellers
SCI (International) Life Member

I just Googled Travel With Guns and it came up as first selection. Their URL is:

http://www.travelwithguns.com

Why not go through Washington Dulles while flying on SAA? I'm leaving this Thursday on that flight, had the first leg canceled by American Airlines, so we are leaving the day prior in order to catch the SAA flight over on Friday. Dulles is actually in Virginia, IIRC, so staying overnight at a hotel is no issue as we are not in DC proper. That would solve your problem I do believe. Unless you've already purchased your tickets this far in advance.

The rationale for flying Emirates becomes more compelling with each passing day.

I have never traveled through JFK on my way to Africa. I would call Steve Turner and get his opinion. He may recommend that you refund your ticket and book through Atlanta to JNB to avoid the New York hassle.

There are two things I would NOT recommend. 1. Even if Portland offers to do it for you, which I doubt, do not check your gun case all the way through to JNB and have it sit overnight in the JFK bag room - very bad idea because of possible theft. 2. Do not plan on buying a day pass to any airline's lounge in JFK and then plan on sleeping in there. Some airlines don't sell day passes, and if they do, they will certainly not let you sleep on the floor in the corner. Also, as already stated, most of them are closed from about midnight until about 5 a.m.

Correction. It was Port Authority Police. Five trips and no issues, they were always professional & helpful in fact they seemed to know more about the system than the TSA. You can always get a knucklehead but I doubt it will happen as my experience was very positive each time.

Jim,

I live in NY, travel at least twice a year on hunting trips with no problem at all. Don't live in the city, but in Putnam county. When you check in they will call the Port Authority police, who will check your drivers license and the serial numbers of your guns. Then you are OK.

As stated by others, there are some specific issues on having a firearm in NYC. See the below from the NYC website.

.” Possession of a shotgun or rifle within New York City requires a permit, which is available to non-residents, and a certificate of registration. No person may possess a loaded rifle or shotgun anywhere in public within New York City limits. A non-resident without a permit may possess an unregistered long gun for up to 24 hours in New York City if in transit to a destination outside the city, provided that the firearm is at all times unloaded and in a locked case or locked automobile trunk and the person is “lawfully in possession of said rifle or shotgun according to the laws of his or her place of residence.”

More than 24 hours may cause you a problem. Good luck on your trip, it will be worth all of the struggles once you get there.

Lastly, if you stay on Long Island, leave very early for JFK, the traffic can be a bear on the island.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
The rationale for flying Emirates becomes more compelling with each passing day.

Mike, your experience with Emirates convinced me. My son and I will be flying Emirates out of Houston to Harare in May. Thought long and hard about other options through Joberg but Emirates just seems like the most hassle free way to go

Matt Portch, Great Post!!!

+1, do it +/-6 times per year. No worries.

Orvar,

Looks like I need to get off my butt and hunt some more + or - 6 trips a year, you are my hero.....

Thank you all for you suggestions! They are really helpful. In the past, I worked with Bill Williamson of Fair Chase Limited. I got my airline reservations through the agency he suggested, without issue. Now that he is gone, I just ran on autopilot and booked through same travel agency. However, they are under new management. It was my blunder. Anyway, I'm squared away for now with a phone call or two to make.

Thanks again! By the way, I'm hunting with Russ Broom Safaris in Matetsi for buffalo. I can hardly wait!!!

Good luck on your hunt. Flown out of JFK 3 times including this past summer. Stayed with family on LI (Nassau County). As many have said the airport is the Port Authority and all of my interactions with them have been nothing but pleasant, quick and professional. Each time its take no more than 10 minutes to check in.