replica prop handguns and air travel

General Questions
#1

hopefully someone can answer this question.

My girlfriend and I are into heavy bondage including gun play (strange i know). i am flying back home to visit her while she is on winter break from college. i am picking up a heavy weight replica prop hand gun at her request so we can have some safe “fun”
unfortunately do to the fact im staying at a friends house, i cant really have the replica shipped there, so ill have to have it in my luggage if i am going to bring it. can someone tell me what the guidelines are for these kind of things. im sure i will have to alert security that it is in my checked luggage and that its fake and have them check it out, but i would rather have them know up front so i dont get called in the back room and miss my flight. in these modern times of heightened security do they even let people check luggage with something like this in it?

if anyone knows for sure that there is no way to transport it this way due to security, ill leave it at home. but surely there has to be a way right?

#2

Call the airlines and ask those very questions, hansolo.

#3

You let them know upfront by simply telling them.

When you walk up to the checkpoint and put your luggage up there, say to them, calmly and pleasantly, “By the way, there’s a toy gun in that bag there [point]…”

Allow extra time because for sure they are gonna want to look in ALL your luggage after that.

Me, I’d leave it at home, save myself some potential hassle, and make do with a quickie Toys R Us purchase when you get there. Love means never having to say you’re sorry you didn’t bring the “cool” gun.

#4

Could you mail it to your girlfriend?

#5

I think the key phrase here is “checked luggage”. You can take a real gun on a plane as long as it is in checked luggage and not in carry-on. However, to ease the trip, call the airline first and ask how to inform them it is in checked luggage.

BTW, why make it so complicated? Why can’t you be happy with whips and handcuffs like the rest of us?

#6

i thought about mailing it to my girlfriend, but the situation we have set up, is the first time im going to see her, im gonna have the gun on me and do a little roleplaying like we dont know each other and all that fun jazz. so going to pick up the gun from her, leaving and coming back, ruins the fun of it all. but Duck Duck Goose is probably right “Me, I’d leave it at home, save myself some potential hassle, and make do with a quickie Toys R Us purchase when you get there. Love means never having to say you’re sorry you didn’t bring the “cool” gun.”

#7

whips dont do anything for her, handcuffs are involved. she wants the gun inbetween her teeth which is why a realistic heavy polymer/metal prop would work better than a toys r us toy dealy. (she thinks its gonna be a real unloaded gun. im not stupid nor would i put a real gun anywhere near her face)

#8

Does she have a sister?
There should be no problem at all. As was stated earlier, you could even check a real firearm.

#9

Mail it General Delivery to youself at the town you are visiting.

#10

According to USPS regulations, real handguns are not mailable. Page 78, section 432.1.

http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub52.pdf

So, if you want to mail a realistic, heavy replica (as opposed to an El Cheapo obvious plastic toy), your best bet is to call the local Postmaster (do NOT walk into the Post Office carrying a gun, you won’t like what happens if you do–trust me) and ask him how to go about mailing it. This is a procedure outlined on Page 75, Section 413, “Rulings”.

Of course, you could just stick it in a box and hand it over the counter as though it were any old load of books, but then you’re taking the chance that at some point in its journey, the fact that that box appears to contain a gun may come to the attention of The Powers That Be, and I don’t think you’ll like what happens then, either.

IMO, your GF won’t appreciate being the subject of an investigation, either. “Ma’am, can you think of any reason why your ‘friend’ would mail you a gun, even if it is only a replica?” What’s she supposed to tell them? The truth? Maybe you’re comfortable talking about your B & D sex life in the anonymity of an Internet message board, but talking about it IRL to the Feds–having it go into an official report somewhere–would be another kettle of fish.

#11

The “checked luggage” is the best way. I’ve looked up rules regarding paintball guns (my hand paintball marker is very very gun-like) and as long as you check your luggage, you won’t have a problem. IRC you can check almost anything (I remember a thread about what you can and can’t bring since 9/11) and as long as you check your weapons (including knives, swords etc) you’ll be fine.