Getting a firearm, especially a handgun, is a little bit of a hassle going through Chicago/O Hare AP, but not as bad as I feared. And not as bad as they time I flew through JFK with my Africa bound firearms a few years ago.
Declaring at the luggage counter that I was travelling with an unloaded and locked up handgun in my suitcase merely brought out a form for me to sign that the firearm was unloaded, and an airport security officer had to carry my suitcase over to the TSA inspection depot but the airport security guy siad that they are already much more accustomed to seeing guns coming through now, and that mine was the sixth handgun he had proccessed through. Refreshing to be sure. The TSA guy acted like he know this was all one big, pointless excercise and was proffessonal and civil enough. It may have helped a bit that I had taped copies of my C&R FFL to one side of my hard pistol case and a page with photocopies of my DL license and copies my four different CCW permit or licenses taped to the other side with the photocopy of my drivers license. Now, none of this is TECHNICALLY needed or required, but it is my thought that identifying onesself as a upstanding citizen and one who is aware of firearms laws to at least some degree cannot hurt.
Anyways, it sure was a nice feeling to not be running around Northern Illinois, Chicago and Milwaulkie WI unarmed.
Took the inexpensive 380 this time as a test run, might pack the big ten next time around now that I have less fear of it getting confiscated, even temporarily.
TFF
