Flying With Firearms

I was recently asked to participate in a survey in regard to flying with firearms.  The survey group specifically wanted to know if I were ever hassled or detained when flying with my firearms.  Below is the response I E-mailed to them.

"Since the terrorist attack on 9/11, I have flown with firearms (both handguns and long guns) on three separate occasions out of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.  One trip was to Maine through Boston's Logan Airport.  One was to Memphis, TN, and the other to Boise, Idaho through Denver.  I have never had an incident with any airline, airline employees, or TSA http://www.tsa.gov/ personnel.  Nor have I ever experienced any kind of problems with the local law enforcement.  Ironically, most of these connecting cities that I've flown through, and my city of origin are considered extremely liberal politically.

Maybe I've just been extremely lucky so far, but I am one of those individuals who do not mind the added security and the delays, nor do I mind the pat downs if required.  As a former Deputy Sheriff I understand the need for the additional security concerns.  As a point of clarification, I never display any type of law enforcement credentials nor do I ever inform the airlines that I am former law enforcement, so I can assure you that I am not getting any sort of preferential treatment from them. 

I do believe most of the hassles can be avoided by presenting a positive attitude towards the TSA folks, and by doing a pre-flight assessment of yourself and your belongings.  I always wear slip-on shoes when flying.  I do not wear a belt of any kind.  My car keys are packed away in my luggage.  I do not carry any loose change in my pockets.  My watch is small and unobtrusive and easy to remove.  I also turn my Cell phone off before boarding.  Lastly, I thoroughly inspect all of my personal items before packing to avoid any possible contraband.  This is just good old fashioned common sense.  Something that most of America has lost as of late. 

I know it's probably just a matter of time until I'm hassled, but if and when I am, I'll just grin and bare it.  Truthfully, I try to avoid flying with firearms at all costs if I can help it.  I drive to most of my shooting matches and hunting destinations whenever I can.  As a big man, I also hate sitting in the extremely small seats on planes and paying the checked baggage fees so why should I bother flying if I really don't have to.  In my opinion, air travel has become nothing more than a Greyhound Bus http://www.greyhound.com/ with wings".

We should keep in mind that as members of the gun fraternity we are always open to public scrutiny.  When we are in posession of our firearms we should conduct ourselves in a professional manner and respect anyone we come in contact with.  We are basically ambassadors for the shooting sports whenever we're in the public eye.  Whether we like it or not, that's just how it is!