Flutterby™! : Flying with cameras 2006-09-25 17:17:00.353501+00

Flying with cameras

2006-09-25 17:17:00.353501+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

Bruce Schneier excerpts the bits from this post and comments that proposes a solution to checked baggage and expensive and critical gear: Fly with a weapon, in this case a starter's pistol, which is a weapon by TSA rules, but is legal without registration in all 50 states:

I have a starter pistol for all my cases. All I have to do upon check-in is tell the airline ticket agent that I have a weapon to declare...I'm given a little card to sign, the card is put in the case, the case is given to a TSA official who takes my key and locks the case, and gives my key back to me.

Wow, what a great solution! I'm sending this to my photographer kid right away. Now to figure out how to get him a starter pistol... Is there any age requirement on that?

I don't know, I'd do a little more reading on the topic first, but it looks like you can pick up a starter pistol (with a hundred blanks) for sub $30, especially since it's never going to be used except for social engineering.

It's probably pretty essential that it stay locked in that case, ie: get somewhere, open the case, take out the camera bag, lock the pistol away again, and I'd get a copy of the TSA regs on flying with a weapon just to be sure, maybe go down to your local sporting goods or gun shop and ask about any other pertinent details about starter pistols, but, yeah, this is a pretty attractive solution.

Diane, go for the excitement. Show up with it sticking out of your back pocket so you can pull it out and place it in your checked case when TSA asks you if you have any weapons to declare.

Because, after all, if I read about it on the internet it must be a good idea, right?