Concealed carry and GA

L J Donelson said:
Interesting quandary, not really. Conceal where legal. Otherwise, you are breaking the law, and the FAA would frown upon that.

Reminds me of a post I did a while back... My son was overseas on an extended sightseeing tour courtesy of Uncle Sam when his grandfather passed so when he was home for a visit I rented a plane from the flight school I had my training and we flew from the local class C to a small GA airport close to the family farm. Incidentally, that is about a 4-hour drive one-way.

His uncle (my BIL) had several long guns and a pistol, which had been left to my son, along with a significant amount of ammo applicable to the aforementioned platforms that he wanted out of the house. We loaded these into the back seat of a 172 and took off at about 5pm in early November, which would put us on the ground shortly after sunset.

As we approached the class C space and I began to think about the procedures for the return it dawned on me that we would be going through Signature Flight Services lobby and walking past some staff, which could be problematic. We started talking about how to handle things and decided the boxes, as well as the loose ammo would easily fit in the carry cooler taken along that morning for a couple of water bottles. We had each taken a slightly heavy jacket, which we decided could be loosely folded over the long guns and, if carried properly, allowed to hang down without being seen by the casual observer. The last thing we decided was that he would enter slightly behind me and to my left, away from the view of the desk staff, then exit quickly through the parking lot door on the left a few steps away.

As we taxied up I decided to park at the far end of the ramp away from a view at the door and allowing us to get unloaded without being closely watched. This gave us ample opportunity to adjust our carry loads; for instance that cooler bag was significantly heavy now. He crossed behind me as the sliding doors opened and passed across the lobby quickly as I carried the cooler and the flight bags out, walking now behind him.

A few minutes later, we were laughing at the thoughts of all of the possibilities. We still chuckle about that today.

Let me add this clarification - I in no way condone flagrant violations of laws or regulations and recommend gathering all the necessary information needed to make appropriate plans in advance of future planned transportation events.
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I'd assume that a Signature in Alabama sees plenty of guns go through it's lobby in November. I know it wouldn't get much interest here.
 
Another thought is to have a plan to deal with the weapon should your GA plane have issues at the destination and you need to fly commercial home in the meantime.

I know a part 91 commercial pilot that forgot his firearm when having to reposition back to his base via a commercial flight. He was charged after the firearm was found in his backpack by TSA and ended up losing his job.

It’s worth thinking about the options beforehand.

Jim
 
Clip4 said:
Most LEOs are trained to recognize concealed weapons. Once you are in a public building where the weapons are prohibited their training then gives them reasonable suspicion for a pat down and you ass is headed to jail on a felony weapons charge.
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Uhh

Most LEOs have a hard time even understanding basic laws, most are also not gun people

I think TV shows like law and order and many movies have given people a inaccurate view of the competence and grit of the average cop

Watch the first 48, follow that up with YouTube of 1st amendment auditors and police having zero clue of even the most basic stuff, that’s more like what you’re going to be dealing with on average
 
Einstein376 said:
Another thought is to have a plan to deal with the weapon should your GA plane have issues at the destination and you need to fly commercial home in the meantime.

I know a part 91 commercial pilot that forgot his firearm when having to reposition back to his base via a commercial flight. He was charged after the firearm was found in his backpack by TSA and ended up losing his job.

It’s worth thinking about the options beforehand.

Jim
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Good point. To check the firearm, you'd need a lockable hard-sided case, and if they're paying attention, a factory ammo box or equivalent (plastic ammo box) for the cartridges.

The lock can't be a TSA-accessible lock, which shows in what high regard TSA screeners are held.

There are a few states in which mere possession isn't legal for a non-resident, so an in-flight emergency over one of those will be just the beginning of your problems.
 
Pretty simple any state you can’t have a handgun in your car is one to avoid having a handgun in your plane. I’d go as far as even flying over.
 
GaryM said:
Good point. To check the firearm, you'd need a lockable hard-sided case, and if they're paying attention, a factory ammo box or equivalent (plastic ammo box) for the cartridges.

The lock can't be a TSA-accessible lock, which shows in what high regard TSA screeners are held.

There are a few states in which mere possession isn't legal for a non-resident, so an in-flight emergency over one of those will be just the beginning of your problems.
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This is ridiculous …. I hope , given recent political realignments, there will be a renewed push towards some kind of federal level guarantee for base level 2nd amendment protections across all states , perhaps similar in effect to the way driving licenses are handled across states.
 
Half Fast said:
Do you know which ones? I believe the PRNJ is like that but I'm not sure.
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PRNJ, a state I recently fled in retirement, would be a problem. They have weird transit laws; even as a resident without a carry permit (which went from non-existent pre-Bruen ruling to now just very expensive and difficult to get), you can only transport a handgun from place of purchase to your home, and home to a state-recognized range. You can't just drive around with it in your car, even empty and locked up. Hollow points are similarly regulated; outside of some narrow legal exceptions, you don't want to get caught with one.

I know that to attend a handgun competition in NY, the state has to recognize the competition and you need to carry proof that you are registered for the match in order to cross the border with your target pistol. A non-resident can't just transport at will, even if empty and locked up. NY also doesn't recognize the FOPA protections for moving handguns between legal residences.

Not sure about the other states, but I'd be a little worried about CA, MA, WA, and a few of the other usual suspects.

Magazines could also be a huge problem. Not all states allow standard capacity magazines, that is, the magazines the manufacturer makes and ships for use with their firearms. Some states require capacity be reduced to 15, some require reduction to 10, some have done both, sequentially (I'm looking at you, NJ), to maximize money wasted on magazines. In some states the wrong magazine is a felony, even if you don't have the firearm that goes with it.
 
Just an aside…there seems to be a rash of Pilots having guns lately at TSA random checks at the KCM entrance to airports. As you know the FAA has a program but these are not certified carry pilots. Tuesday she worked a flight that one of the pilots was arrested…long story short she was told they had four incidents in the last two weeks…just a really dumbass move.
 
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Warlock said:
Just an aside…there seems to be a rash of Pilots having guns lately at TSA random checks at the KCM entrance to airports. As you know the FAA has a program but these are not certified carry pilots. Tuesday she worked a flight that one of the pilots were arrested…long story short she was told they had four incidents in the last two weeks…just a really dumbass move.
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I was just reading a press release that TSA will be ending the Known Crew Member program because of all of the issues they have been finding, pilots with guns, flight attendants with drugs, etc.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I was just reading a press release that TSA will be ending the Known Crew Member program because of all of the issues they have been finding, pilots with guns, flight attendants with drugs, etc.
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Selects dispatch

Selects free text

“Flt delayed due to security”

Send
 
Warlock said:
Just an aside…there seems to be a rash of Pilots having guns lately at TSA random checks at the KCM entrance to airports. As you know the FAA has a program but these are not certified carry pilots. Tuesday she worked a flight that one of the pilots was arrested…long story short she was told they had four incidents in the last two weeks…just a really dumbass move.
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If it is between TSA and guns , I may actually choose guns…
 
midwestpa24 said:
I'd be more curious about the flights that were delayed or cancelled when their flight crew was arrested!
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After a two hour delay and finding a pilot out of base they were able to depart…100% of the passengers missed their connections…
 
midwestpa24 said:
I'd be more curious about the flights that were delayed or cancelled when their flight crew was arrested!
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I’ve never even heard about these “high profile” TSA busts.

The chances of your flight getting delayed because your crew was arrested was always near nil, both during KCM and before KCM, both CONUS and OCONUS where this program doesn’t exist.

Now the chance of TSA missing a weapon in normal screening that’s pretty high based on the FBI or whomever’s tests, the whole TSA thing just needs to go away or be majorly overhauled
 
Half Fast said:
I like my P32 but if I were buying today I'd probably get the P3AT. A .380 has a good bit more punch than a .32, although with Winchester Silvertips I think the .32 will do the job. The P3AT wasn't on the market yet when I got my little pea shooter.
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Hot Czech 7.65 ball ammo with an antimony sphere sitting in a semi-jacketed dead soft lead cup.

If you are going to use Silvertips get a Seecamp, it was designed for them.
 
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Warmi said:
This is ridiculous …. I hope , given recent political realignments, there will be a renewed push towards some kind of federal level guarantee for base level 2nd amendment protections across all states , perhaps similar in effect to the way driving licenses are handled across states.
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Or marriage licenses. [DUCKS]
 
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