This is a subject that is often difficult to address because, as usual, the laws keep changing! With that said, as of the time of this writing, all things check out with both the United States TSA and ATF. Now, onto the subject matter at hand. Most people looking for tips want to start by knowing if they even can travel with firearms and if so, then they want to be guided on how to do that legally and safely. Here’s what we know to date.
1. Conditions Under Which You Can Travel With a Firearm
First, let’s start with air travel. This one isn’t as difficult as you might imagine. The single most important thing to know is that you cannot, under any circumstances, travel with a carry-on gun. They must be checked into baggage and at that, there are several things most airlines will require. First of all, you’ll need a specialty lock box to keep your gun safely locked within and you must check with the proper authorities and the airlines before showing up with a gun you won’t be able to bring along. Remember, the government sets rules for travel but each airline can set their own policies.
2. Another Look at Airline Rules for Travel With Firearms
There is one more thing you may want to be aware of. The only part of a DIY build that speaks of what you can carry on would be the scope. Other parts necessary for building your own firearms are available on 80% Arms and if you are not familiar with this supplier, you can click here to learn more about 80% Arms. All other parts must be checked in and, yet again, it is best to check with the airline prior to leaving to see whether or not they will even allow a scope as a carry-on. The reason for this is clear. It’s altogether too easy for a terrorist to take pieces from carry-on luggage spread out among cohorts, so obviously it is NEVER allowed.
3. Rules for Interstate Travel by Any Mode of Transportation
There is, however, one very important ‘rule of thumb’ that you must follow when traveling with a firearm. First of all, open carry and concealed carry are not legal in all states, so you should be concerned with getting current laws if you intend to carry at your destination. Also, guns must be legal in both your home state and in your destination state if you don’t want to have yours confiscated. It would be wisest to follow all the same types of precautions you would for flying with a personal firearm, including that locked box mentioned. The reason for this is safety and so those kinds of laws carry over to other modes of travel as well.
Your key takeaway here is that you can almost always travel with a gun within the 50 states, but you must check laws on both ends prior to setting off on your trip. International laws are quite different and, in many locations, guns are outlawed anyway, so why bother? Do the research first and you should be good to go.
