Travelling and checking gear...

Not sure where to post this so I will let Michael move it if this is a bad spot for it...

If you travel and need to check luggage that contains gear (camera, Macbook etc.) you take a huge risk in losing that gear. But I have found a foolproof way to ensure that you never lose a checked bag with your gear.

Buy a gun.

I am serious. Buy the cheapest peice of crap handgun you can find. Pawnshop, whatever. You can put a trigger lock on it and / or have the firing pin removed if you like.

Toss the gun in with the gear that you are going to check. Then, when you check the luggage, declare the firearm. You will have to fill out a form and they will put a special tag on the luggage for the firearm.

The trick here is that with Homeland Security and the NTSB rules, the luggage will be VERY carefully tracked. The loss of a declared firearm at the airport means that heads will roll.

Anyway, this has worked well for me so far.

Ha. That's brilliant. I'm surprised that they let you pack guns though. I'm sure here it's listed as something you can't pack - dangerous goods? Although, surely people do need to carry guns sometimes. Olympic shooters?

Don't you run a risk of legal trouble when you go to a city in which you don't have a carry permit?

-V

I'm sorry...I don't buy that. You are asking for not only careful tracking of your bag, but you can COUNT on being tracked yourself.

Here's a better idea... buy a bazooka & stick it in your tripod case. You will probably get a private police escort to your hotel

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

I know a shooter that packs a starter's pistol because the bag gets locked after it's thoroughly checked and he gets the only key.

Fewer issues with needing a permit.

deb

A gun!!!???
Isn´t easier to place a Chuck Norris face on each piece of gear..., or Rambo... no, wait... Jack Bauer.
They will track your luggage and you after for a long time, anyway, the ideia of carryng a gun in a airplane putting other people lifes in danger is... ... ... .... ( lack of words for a stupid and ignorant gesture).

Rui Barros
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Lisbon, Portugal
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Yeah but he said to remove the firing pin and/or add a trigger lock. That makes it just a hunk of metal completely incapable of firing.

I actually like the starter gun idea even better. No licence required then. And now I think of it I think that's been mentioned before on the forums.

The starter pistol is a great idea. In the US, you don't need a carry permit to transport a gun. Most states require a carry permit if you are going to carry a firearm on your person. And all of the airlines here are required to allow you to transport a licensed firearm, declared in your luggage.

International is obviously a different situation. I am just talking about here in the US. I have a tiny .22 pistol that has had the firing pin removed and has a trigger lock on it that I use for just this purpose.

Alternatively, you can try this:

Hi. I'd like a ticket to Atlanta and I need to have my luggage sent to Billings Montanta.
Ummm, sir, we cannot send your luggage to a different city.
Why not? You did it last time.

all I can say to this thread is "Only in America"!

Thats what I was going to say Paul. You beat me to it.

Michael Horton
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As a regular flyer domestically in Australia, this makes me laugh.....a LOT.

When I was in the states August/September last year, there were fluid issues because of the terror threats in the UK.

I've never heard such complaining in my entire life. Ever. And I spent 22 hours straight in a car last week.

I reckon I'd take losing my stuff....its insured. Aren't you just as likely to get shot by an over zealous security guard at LAX?

Sorry, that must just be me

I like the ingenuity though.

Quote

I reckon I'd take losing my stuff....its insured.

Exactly...and don't check anything you aren't willing to lose.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.