Frequent travel with a firearm

[PaJ]

I am looking for ideas realizing they may be a limited number. I travel almost weekly for work. I mostly go to my office in Baton Rouge but also travel throughout the US, Canada and beyond. I want to carry where I legally can but don't like dealing with the TSA in front of my employees when we are checking bags. I have considered leaving a weapon in Louisiana to minimize this but I am concerned about leaving a weapon in my office even if it's in a locked handgun safe, and I only have one weapon that is easy to conceal. Plus I dont know week to week where I'll be so may go a few weeks without being there. I am the GM and wrote the employee handbook so I have no issues with the weapon at work. I am new to CHL, as is my wife, so our handgun budget is tapped out. Are there any other ideas about how to handle this or is this just part of carrying I need to figure out?

[gigag04]

You should have to interact with TSA other than a possible bag screen. Usually it's just the gate agent.

[PaJ]

You are correct. I misspoke but still have the issue of checking my bag and declaring the weapon with my employees nearby.

[The Annoyed Man]

I can't speak to traveling with a firearm into Canada. I'd probably either avoid going there entirely if I could, or avoid carrying a gun into the country if I couldn't avoid going.

As far as the rest of it goes, why worry if your employees know you travel with a firearm? I don't care who knows. Is there a reason you should care? Beyond that, do you have to check in with your employees when traveling? Why not just get there 20 minutes before they do and handle it then, and then meet up with them after they have come through the TSA checkpoint?

But seriously, if an employee knew I traveled with a gun, and they had the temerity to question me, their boss, as to why I thought it was necessary, I'd simply put it back on them: "What, you don't travel with a gun? What's wrong with you?"

[C-dub]

If I were in the OP's shoes I wouldn't worry about what they thought if they knew I carried. I would view it more from a security standpoint. Any one of them could be a disgruntled employee or ex-employee at some future time. Or if someone else came in and demanded to know if anyone was armed an employee may give me up.

[SewTexas]

I can't speak to traveling with a firearm into Canada. I'd probably either avoid going there entirely if I could, or avoid carrying a gun into the country if I couldn't avoid going.

As far as the rest of it goes, why worry if your employees know you travel with a firearm? I don't care who knows. Is there a reason you should care? Beyond that, do you have to check in with your employees when traveling? Why not just get there 20 minutes before they do and handle it then, and then meet up with them after they have come through the TSA checkpoint?

But seriously, if an employee knew I traveled with a gun, and they had the temerity to question me, their boss, as to why I thought it was necessary, I'd simply put it back on them: "What, you don't travel with a gun? What's wrong with you?"

and that is why we love TAM
although I do agree with all of the above, getting to the airport early is a great idea, there is absolutely no reason y'al have to check in together, you aren't children.

[PaJ]

Arriving to the airport is fine when leaving town. When we are returning to the airport to come home we share a rent car so all arrive together. Also there is loading and unloading in the rent car. Hard to be discreet doing that.

I suppose not hiding the fact that I carry is the best solution. I was trying to follow other advice on this forum to not let people know you are carrying. I guess it proves every situation is different.

[AEA]

If you travel with a handgun to Canada, all your other "problems" will be eliminated.

[SewTexas]

Arriving to the airport is fine when leaving town. When we are returning to the airport to come home we share a rent car so all arrive together. Also there is loading and unloading in the rent car. Hard to be discreet doing that.

I suppose not hiding the fact that I carry is the best solution. I was trying to follow other advice on this forum to not let people know you are carrying. I guess it proves every situation is different.

hmmm, ok, here's a thought, do you typically with only one or two other people? or is it always different people? what I'm thinking is that if it's always the same core of people, you invite them over for BBQ, sit them down and talk with them, you might just find that they would like to be carrying, too. I never go to a hotel without my gun.
if it's always different people, wellllll, that will require more thinking.

[chasfm11]

Arriving to the airport is fine when leaving town. When we are returning to the airport to come home we share a rent car so all arrive together. Also there is loading and unloading in the rent car. Hard to be discreet doing that.

I suppose not hiding the fact that I carry is the best solution. I was trying to follow other advice on this forum to not let people know you are carrying. I guess it proves every situation is different.

I think the idea behind not disclosing that you are carrying indiscriminately is that most people you meet do not have a need to know. If you are traveling with others (employees or otherwise) and they would observe your interactions over the firearm, it might be best to talk to them in advance. Part of the discussion probably should be the fact that you won't want the fact that you are carrying to be shared with anyone else unless you specifically choose to make that disclosure yourself and that any discussion about your firearm should never be done in a public place.

I hope that you are are aware that Canadian laws are very prohibitive about foreigners with handguns. I frequent a couple of RV forums and there is apparently a way that you can travel with a handgun in Canada if you are driving through to Alaska but I would want to understand it a lot better than I do before I tried it. For air travel, a handgun is definitely out of the question going into Canada. I mention this because you said that you didn't know from week to week where you might be traveling to. It will be a real problem if you are in some other US city, have your handgun and suddenly your next stop has to be Canada. I, too, traveled to Canada on business and I had them quiz me at the border if I even owned firearms when they saw that I was coming from Texas. I traveled a lot in Europe including the UK and my worst border incident was from the US to Canada. It is absolutely the last place where I would want to have to deal with a handgun.

[Excaliber]

Arriving to the airport is fine when leaving town. When we are returning to the airport to come home we share a rent car so all arrive together. Also there is loading and unloading in the rent car. Hard to be discreet doing that.

I suppose not hiding the fact that I carry is the best solution. I was trying to follow other advice on this forum to not let people know you are carrying. I guess it proves every situation is different.

There are a few more options that come to mind.

Unload and place the gun in your luggage in the hotel room (unless your hotel is in a place like Detroit).

or

Do your unloading in the rest room while your traveling companions are checking in.

Maneuver your line position so you're the last in your group and tell your companions to go on to the gate and you'll meet them there.

[Piney]

Tiny bit off topic-- but traveling into Canada is an ordeal ! My pasture neighbor had their RV confiscated for 2 days. It was searched it at the border and the officials found-- wait for it-- a small lockblade knife in the kitchen drawer-- I cant imagine if they found a firearm or even some loose ammo in your luggage.

Arriving to the airport is fine when leaving town. When we are returning to the airport to come home we share a rent car so all arrive together. Also there is loading and unloading in the rent car. Hard to be discreet doing that.

I suppose not hiding the fact that I carry is the best solution. I was trying to follow other advice on this forum to not let people know you are carrying. I guess it proves every situation is different.

I think the idea behind not disclosing that you are carrying indiscriminately is that most people you meet do not have a need to know. If you are traveling with others (employees or otherwise) and they would observe your interactions over the firearm, it might be best to talk to them in advance. Part of the discussion probably should be the fact that you won't want the fact that you are carrying to be shared with anyone else unless you specifically choose to make that disclosure yourself and that any discussion about your firearm should never be done in a public place.

I hope that you are are aware that Canadian laws are very prohibitive about foreigners with handguns. I frequent a couple of RV forums and there is apparently a way that you can travel with a handgun in Canada if you are driving through to Alaska but I would want to understand it a lot better than I do before I tried it. For air travel, a handgun is definitely out of the question going into Canada. I mention this because you said that you didn't know from week to week where you might be traveling to. It will be a real problem if you are in some other US city, have your handgun and suddenly your next stop has to be Canada. I, too, traveled to Canada on business and I had them quiz me at the border if I even owned firearms when they saw that I was coming from Texas. I traveled a lot in Europe including the UK and my worst border incident was from the US to Canada. It is absolutely the last place where I would want to have to deal with a handgun.

[PaJ]

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. It really helps me think through the scenarios and possible solutions. Fortunately the majority of my trips are to Louisiana where laws are similar. When I have gone to Canada, Spain, Panamá or upcoming to Peru, I don't even consider carrying but feel very vulnerable when I am there. Good practice for situational awareness.

That makes sense to not generally trumpet that I am carrying. Maybe I took the "don't tell anyone" a bit to literally. I should probably put my CHL badge in the drawer now too. Getting the license was easier than learning how to be responsible with one.

[Vol Texan]

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. It really helps me think through the scenarios and possible solutions. Fortunately the majority of my trips are to Louisiana where laws are similar. When I have gone to Canada, Spain, Panamá or upcoming to Peru, I don't even consider carrying but feel very vulnerable when I am there. Good practice for situational awareness.

PaJ,

There was some good discussion on international travel earlier this year. It's only a short thread, but lots of good info here: viewtopic.php?f=83&t=61835#p759697