TSA locks

18 September 2023, 20:17

twilli

TSA locks

Just returned from trip to Mozambique . $50 worth of TSA locks stolen. What’s the sense of locking the luggage if they are just going to steal the locks. Stole 4 locks altogether. 2 off my ammunition box and 2 off my Pelican case . Anyone else have any experience with this ? Appears all my stuff is here but the locks .

19 September 2023, 00:17

Pancho

I'm pretty sure that the airline should not have accepted your gun case with TSA locks on it. Supposed to put regular locks on the gun case.

Pancho
LTC, USA, RET

"Participating in a gun buy-back program because you think that criminals have too many guns is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids." Clint Eastwood

Give me Liberty or give me Corona.

19 September 2023, 01:16

shoulderman

Is that just for Mozambique. I have used TSA locks many times to RSA, Zim and Namibia without an issue from the airlines

19 September 2023, 01:21

Use Enough Gun

I just arrived in Joburg last night with, among other things our two Pelican Air luggage cases. When we went to pick up our luggage,the four TSA locks had been taken off of the Pelican Air Cases and our custom Pelican hard name plates with our names, address and telephone numbers had been pulled off of the cases. I had epoxied them on a couple of months ago. However, in spite of these things, nothing was missing from either case. Go figure.

19 September 2023, 02:24

Hannay

Right before flying to Cape Town in August, I bought a set of four matching keyed TSA locks and used them on our two bags, one of which was a Pelican Air case. When we arrived home, only three locks were still attached. My guess is lazy TSA agents who didn't get the 4th lock closed properly, but who knows? One of the other locks attached to the Pelican Air is has the shackle bent slightly, which makes it a little difficult to operate.

19 September 2023, 03:18

jdollar

quote:
Originally posted by Pancho:
I'm pretty sure that the airline should not have accepted your gun case with TSA locks on it. Supposed to put regular locks on the gun case.

For sure this used to be the rule but maybe things have changed. By now, every African Tom, Dick and Harry has a pilfered TSA lock key.

19 September 2023, 04:10

Michael Robinson

NEVER use TSA locks on gun or ammunition cases! If you use padlocks on such cases, then only YOU should have the keys.

If the TSA or anyone else wants to open them, then they must find you and you must be there.

TSA locks are useless against theft these days, but there you have it.

19 September 2023, 04:50

Bwana1

quote:
Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
NEVER use TSA locks on gun or ammunition cases! If you use padlocks on such cases, then only YOU should have the keys.

If the TSA or anyone else wants to open them, then they must fine you and you must be there.

I have had TSA cut TSA locks off my luggage.
TSA locks are useless against theft these days, but there you have it.

19 September 2023, 05:34

K Evans

quote:
If the TSA or anyone else wants to open them, then they must find you and you must be there.
TSA locks are useless against theft these days, but there you have it.

I use TSA locks, my bags were unlocked in Joburg two weeks ago so the thieves have TSA keys and I guess these locks really are useless against theft. But they satisfy the airline requirement for locked cases.
It's been my experience that if TSA, CBP or police in Dubai, Harare or Doha want in your ammo case, they just cut the lock off or cut the hasp, this, too, happened last month (kind enough to leave the locks in my suitcase, though).

19 September 2023, 17:14

twilli

Gun case did not have TSA locks on it my luggage and ammunition box did. They stole all 4 cable locks

19 September 2023, 17:17

twilli

Mike per my booking agent and regulations ammunition box had to have TSA locks on it and airlines also had different requirements.

20 September 2023, 02:17

Use Enough Gun

Mike is correct on NO TSA locks on gun cases. However, putting TSA locks on your LUGGAGE (i.e. Pelican Air luggage cases) is a different matter. Next time I may try a different hard side rolling luggage suitcase. The fact that the thieves literally ripped my hard Pelican identification plates off of the two pieces of luggage really pissed me off.

20 September 2023, 03:11

Fjold

Using TSA locks on gun cases is only against the law in the U.S., it doesn't apply overseas.

It's actually listed in the Code of Federal Regulations. 49 CFR 1540 something

20 September 2023, 20:37

bobmn

quote:
If the TSA or anyone else wants to open them, then they must find you and you must be there

Unless you fly through Atlanta. After clearing customs I placed my luggage on the belt for my domestic leg by order of a the TSA Gestopo. When my luggage arrived at my domestic destination the non TSA locks were missing and my case had been pried open. Still waiting for reimbursement for claim (sarcasm).

21 September 2023, 00:58

Use Enough Gun

quote:
Using TSA locks on gun cases is only against the law in the U.S., it doesn't apply overseas.

The issue is just that: U.S. Hunters dealing with TSA locks on gun cases originating from flights leaving the United States and complying with Federal Law for leaving the United States with your rifles. I know of no one who is planning on changing locks on a gun case once they leave the U.S. since you won't see the gun case again until your arrival in a foreign country. As to the TSA gestopo, there are some of them in every airport. Doesn't seem that all of the TSA agents have been educated on the real law. Makes it difficult to deal with. And the law further states that TSA is to contact you if they are opening your gun case for inspection. A few TSA agents need to be liable for damages and that would maybe change their methods-but don't hold your breath.

21 September 2023, 03:22

DLS

I just returned from Tanzania, leaving and entering the USA at San Francisco. Neither my Tuffpak or Pelican Air had TSA locks. Both were locked with regular combination locks. No problems at all, other than when I opened my Pelican case in Dar, there was a TSA advisory card that they’d opened and inspected the contents of my case. Other than that, everything was 100% as I packed it.

How the hell did they get into my case with regular locks on it?

21 September 2023, 17:12

Fjold

quote:
Originally posted by DLS:
I just returned from Tanzania, leaving and entering the USA at San Francisco. Neither my Tuffpak or Pelican Air had TSA locks. Both were locked with regular combination locks. No problems at all, other than when I opened my Pelican case in Dar, there was a TSA advisory card that they’d opened and inspected the contents of my case. Other than that, everything was 100% as I packed it.

How the hell did they get into my case with regular locks on it?

TSA inspected the case at SFO. You had to have it inspected when you checked in at the airport counter.

24 September 2023, 23:27

Use Enough Gun

quote:
How the hell did they get into my case with regular locks on it?

Did they ask you for your keys or combinations to your locks in order to inspect while in SFO? That would be the only way that I know of that would have allowed them to get into your rifle case. At the check in counter the rifles are declared to be unloaded and you place your salmon colored verification card-signed by both you and the ticket agent-in the rifle case, lock it and send the rifle case on its way. Only then would TSA get involved and ask you for your keys or your combinations to your locks. That is how it has been done every time that I have flown with rifles to Africa.

26 September 2023, 09:44

DLS

quote:
Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
quote:
How the hell did they get into my case with regular locks on it?

Did they ask you for your keys or combinations to your locks in order to inspect while in SFO? That would be the only way that I know of that would have allowed them to get into your rifle case. At the check in counter the rifles are declared to be unloaded and you place your salmon colored verification card-signed by both you and the ticket agent-in the rifle case, lock it and send the rifle case on its way. Only then would TSA get involved and ask you for your keys or your combinations to your locks. That is how it has been done every time that I have flown with rifles to Africa.

Actually, i think I figured out what happened. TSA and Customs did not want to look inside my Pelican Air case when they inspected my guns. I had non-TSA Master combination locks on the case and they have long hasps. I’m guessing some TSA agent down in baggage handling opened the case an inch or so with the locks still attached and tried to peer inside. That’s the only way I can think of that they ‘inspected’ my case. The card was inside when I opened it at Sea Cliff Hotel.