I have just had a hunting client have his 2 rifles stolen out of minneapolis? The rifles where checked in with the TSA apparantly but never made it on the plane.Tracking numbers showed it all over the place Cape Town and Minneapolis and on his return was told that they where missing and presumed stolen?
they make you take your shoes off and force you to put your small toothpaste in clear bags but loose two rifles???

I hope he had SIAI insurance.

????? Dave - Normally rifles "are not" checked in with TSA, they are checked in with the airline ticket counter staff. They are the ones to tag the bags (one needs to always check these destination tags at the counter for correctness) then they are placed on the conveyor and off for inspection and loading.

Something was amiss, but I don't know that TSA would be the culprit on this one??

Hope the rifles show up or payment is made for the loss?

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by leopards valley safaris:
I have just had a hunting client have his 2 rifles stolen out of minneapolis? The rifles where checked in with the TSA apparantly but never made it on the plane.Tracking numbers showed it all over the place Cape Town and Minneapolis and on his return was told that they where missing and presumed stolen?
they make you take your shoes off and force you to put your small toothpaste in clear bags but loose two rifles???

Larry, agreed. I think we need more information on this one. Does TSA keep a log of all firearms that they see/inspect?
Peter.

Flying out of JFK or Newark...The TSA officer inspects the firearm and then hand delivers the rifle case to the baggage belt. Either TSA or airport employee stole the firearm.

I call for a congressional investigation!

In addition,

The airline, airport, state of Mn and TSA all should be fined huge for this. This action of stolen or lost firearm is unacceptable.

Furthermore,

The value of the firearms should be reimbursed and a significant punitive damage award of at least 100k should be given to the hunter whose firearms were lost or stolen. This would end this nonsense.

Where the F... is the ATF?

I bet a liberial employee tossed the guncase into the dumpster.


dale

Any gun I throw on a baggage conveyer, handgun or rifle, has a full replacement value policy issued by SIAI. With all the thieves, mobsters and greenies out there, it just makes sense.

As a former airline pilot, I can assure you that cargo theft is a thriving, ongoing business, not to mention the baggage apes who may either carelessly or intentionally misdirect your firearm.

It has happened to me.

Larry: At DFW, until my trip in May, you took your firearms to the TSA area where they checked them and then they put it onto a conveyor belt traveling into the bowels of the airport. This last time the tsa rep came to united's counter and united put them onto the belt.

Usually TSA inspects the cases and then puts them on a bag. Depending on the airline they may also check to see whether your guns make it to the plane. Each time I've flown to Tanz on KLM they have come to me when I was seated on the plane and confirmed that I was traveling with firearms and that the guns were on the plane.

Same here.
When I flew out I went to the counter put the tag inside then had to take the gun to TSA to be inspected with the XRAY and then they gave me the thumbs up and I watched it go on the belt. Even in Dulles when you come home they put it thru the XRAY after customs when transfering flights. You wait and the guy tells you ok you can leave after they check the case.

Larry

My experience of MSP (I live here, so its 5-6 times now I've flown with guns through there...) is that you go to the airline's counter, tell them you have a firearm to check, and they place the tags on it, then have you go with to TSA, who then verify it is "safe", re lock the case, and an airline employee takes the guns back to the conveyor. You can walk with the whole time (in fact they usually ask you do so...) but not touch anything.

The difference is when you do a connection.

The only time I lost a gun (for 2 days) was flying back from JFK to MN, when I took the gun from customs, back to TSA and was told that TSA would deliver it to the airlines. That didn't happen. (at JFK nonetheless). They put it on the wrong plane.

I would think you are much more likely to loose a piece of luggage at a connection than when you board at that airport.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Any gun I throw on a baggage conveyer, handgun or rifle, has a full replacement value policy issued by SIAI. With all the thieves, mobsters and greenies out there, it just makes sense.

Have you ever had to file a claim with SIAI and did they pay? I have had a negative experience with them in that regard.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Any gun I throw on a baggage conveyer, handgun or rifle, has a full replacement value policy issued by SIAI. With all the thieves, mobsters and greenies out there, it just makes sense.

Have you ever had to file a claim with SIAI and did they pay? I have had a negative experience with them in that regard.

First I've heard of one. Never had a claim with them. They're twenty minutes down the road, so if I had one, I'd file it in person. Sure beats no insurance at all.

I had Northworst ship my rifle from MEM back to ORL when I connected in MEM for San Antonio. Took me two days to get NWA to deliver it and ruined my hunt in Uvalde, but I did get it back. No claim, though.

quote:

The TSA officer inspects the firearm and then hand delivers the rifle case to the baggage belt.

Hi Larry this is the same info I got from the chap involved.Im just the messenger.

It's a very serious matter for the airlines and TSA to lose firearms and I would go to the top on this one. Get everyone involved, including BATFE, U.S. Customs, any government agency that deals with firearms, maybe even the FBI. Make sure that you report them stolen to the Feds and the State of Minnesota. Once those get into the data banks you might just find them very quickly. I just got a new 4457 today for one of my double rifles and they ran it on the computer to check if it had been reported stolen before they handed me the completed 4457.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter: Does TSA keep a log of all firearms that they see/inspect?
Peter.

No they do not, they just inspect them and put them on the belt.

this sounds like the new story today. PM netanyahu's bodyguard's luggage went to LAX instead of jfk. on arrival in lax, the police opened the luggage and the 4 glock 9mm pistols were missing. imagine that, guns going missing from diplomatic personnel's luggage, let alone a regular person's.

i have had airline personnel check the firearm and send it on the conveyor, i have had to take the rifle case to tsa and have them check it before loading on the conveyor at the check in site, and have had it taken away by tsa and sent on somehow to the airplane. i am sure that if tsa is involved, they can screw it up somehow and provide no prevention to theft.

hmmmmmmm...

In Boise, both trips to Africa; TSA wanted to see the rifles and make sure ammunition was not in the guncase. The last trip was in April.
My homeowners insurance covers them anywhere in the world for an extra $100 a year. $40 grand worth.


Rich
DRSS

The Follow up to this story is that the FBI is now involved and they are investigating in Minneapolis aswell as sending a team to Amsterdam where they were supposed to land en-route to Cape Town with KLM.
. . .will keep you buggers in the loop

Thanks for the update.
Peter.