JFK Airport, part 2

[irish_ironsight]

Well folk's here we go, the final tale.

As you know I was travelling from Dublin in Ireland to the USA via the scary JFK Airport, being a law abiding person I had lined up all the paperwork in the correct order and had everyones permission for what I was planning to do, so here's exactly what happened.

On may the 9th I went to Dublin Airport and told the Airline I was checking in a firearm, and I gave the ticket agent a print out of the Airline's firearm's policy and a printout of the TSA guideline's.

She had a supervisor stop by and check the weapon, the supervisor had me open the gun case and she just looked at the pistol, she saw a cable lock through the mag well so it was unoaded, and she even checked to see if there was a round in the breach, she let me lock it back in the gun case and she had me sign the firearm deceleration and she tied that to the gun case, then she watched me use another cable lock to secure it to the inside of the suitcase, and then she had me secure the suitcase with the TSA approved locks I had from my last USA trip. Then they put the travel tag on the suitcase and she walked with me to the Airport's secure holding area, where not 1 but 2 Airport Police officer's had to sign for receipt of the case and they were told when it was to go to the plane.

Not a problem, anyway my flight to JFK went out on time and I even got some sleep on the flight.

When I arrived in JFK, I found the Airline supervisor and told her that PAPD wanted my suitcase to remain in the Airline's possession, so I asked her to accompany me to baggage pick up and custom's, that wasn't a problem at all. I collected my suitcase and went to the US customs and Border patrol office, I explained to them I was in possession of a firearm and gave them all my paperwork, the CBP officer read the documents, checked the state of the weapon and ran the serial number, said welcome to the USA and told me enjoy my trip. He told the Airline Supervisor to bring me to the ticket desk for my next flight, when I got there the supervisor told me they needed the PAPD to check the weapon, 2 officers from the PAPD came down and asked me if I was the Irish guy they had been expecting, that was indeed me, I asked they if they wanted to open the suit case and gun case for their own safety (they liked that) or would I do it for them. Anyway I gave them the keys, they opened the suitcase and gun case, they checked the weapon was secure and they locked it back up again with the TSA lock and they told the Airline folk's I was good to go.
The supervisor said my unloaded firearm deceleration was still valid, and they took charge of the suitcase. Not a problem one.

I landed in Pittsburgh and collected my suitcase and saw that someone other than the TSA had tampered with the case and would you believe it some son of a mother had stolen the gun case.

So the Police, the FBI, the ATF and the Airlines corporate security office were called and they have been "investigating" ever since.

So apart from the monumental screw up in the Airlines policy for the safe handling of firearms in their custody, the trip was a blast, I got myself recertified as a taser user & invited to participate in the instructors course, I went from being OC certified to a certified OC instructor, and got certified as a chemical munitions user and collected a whole lot of other good information and I even scored an invite to do a GLOCK armorer's course later in the year !

So the problem wasn't in avoiding being arrested, it was keeping the weapon out of the reach of thieves !

Oh and while I think of it, the fishing was great as well !!!!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[GOPony]

Wow sorry to hear about your experience, but glad you still were able to enjoy your time here. I would think that they would be able to find your gun considering it was in their possesion, wouldn't have to be a worker?

[PaulJ]

Probably one of the TSA guys stole it :-(

[DaveH]

So the problem wasn't in avoiding being arrested, it was keeping the weapon out of the reach of thieves !

Not the first time that verse has been sung.

Glad to hear your trip was a success, otherwise.

[TacticalCompact]

and yet another measure of gun-control that does nothing. In fact it would appear their procedures helped place another firearm into the hands of a criminal. Great going, government!

[Rob99VMI04]

What kind of Glock was it? Because if its a 380 ACP then it maybe fairly easy to locate, you may want to run this on Glock Talk. Along with your Serial Number.

[Captain Crunch]

Sorry to hear about your loss. That's really a downer!

I guess you shouldn't expect to win the Irish Sweepstakes anytime soon, eh?

[randytulsa2]

Now don't that just beat all you ever heard of?

After all that. To have end up the way it did.

Ugh.

[dogrunner]

Ironsight, I'd suggest posting a description and serial # on various websites...........that gun just might show up. Anyway you look at it, it sure can't hurt.

[Rivers]

What is didn't read was, after the entry at JFK and the security inspection (when you let them open the case), did you get all the keys back? Did you hand them multiple keys, and were all of them returned? Did YOU verify that the gun was inside and the case locked after the security inspection?

This seems to be where the problem occurred, or at least started.

I'd suggest that the next time, take a photo of any security personnel who handle your luggage. Get name tags.

[irish_ironsight]

What is didn't read was, after the entry at JFK and the security inspection (when you let them open the case), did you get all the keys back? Did you hand them multiple keys, and were all of them returned? Did YOU verify that the gun was inside and the case locked after the security inspection?

I'd suggest that the next time, take a photo of any security personnel who handle your luggage. Get name tags.

Yeah, i only had 3 keys,
one for the suitcase
one for the gun case
one for the cable lock

I personally stowed the weapon in the case & resecured it all

The weapon is a Glock 19, serial number GUY 022

But I dont think I'll be seeing it again !

[Hopyard]

It is a sad fact that thieves operate in airport baggage handling. This business of putting tags on bags (indicating there is something to steal) and using TSA locks, which means no lock at all, just makes the thieves job EASY.

Someone suggested it was the TSA guys who took the weapon. I doubt it. Just my biased opinion but I think the TSA folks are a big step up from the private employees who do this function.

So-- which organization, TSA, Airport Authority, PAPD, Airline, is going to step up and take credit if that gun is used in a murder??

[Rob99VMI04]

That REALLY SUCKS sorry about that sorry that happened. Hey by any chance are you a member of the NRA (National Rifle Association). If you are, at least at one time all members had $1,000 insurance policy on any gun that was lost stolen, or damaged world wide. And if your an LEO you get a $25,000 insurance policy if your KIA. Now I'm not exactly sure if that applies to Foreign police however if it does, for a whooping $35 a year or a $1,000 Life member fee you get that $25,000 insurance. I'm not sure what that is in EURO's.

On a happy note:
However, It looks like Virginia is off the hook. Soon Mayor Bloomberg will be blaming Ireland for all the gun crime in the city.

I wonder if he will be sending foot soldiers into your gun stores and attempting to buy guns over there.

[nn]

[K4Kimber]

It is a sad fact that thieves operate in airport baggage handling. ...Someone suggested it was the TSA guys who took the weapon. I doubt it. Just my biased opinion but I think the TSA folks are a big step up from the private employees who do this function.

I fly 100K+ Miles/year throughout the U.S. I don't share your opinion based on my impressions of the TSA personnel I encounter. From my experience they appear to fill four categories: a) Ready to retire b) Already retired but didn't tell anyone c) Otherwise unemployable d) Special needs

I would keep them on the "Suspect" list.