Traveling to Florida (Southwest Airlines)

**splink** · May 20th, 2016, 09:13 PM

We are flying to Tampa tomorrow for a family vacation in Siesta Key. I am planning to bring the pistol along. This will be my first time flying with a firearm so just looking for any advise for the airport and carrying while in Florida.

I have a Pelican case for the pistol, mags, and ammo that I will cable to the suitcase. While in Florida I am going to use my Crossbreed Supertuck.

I likely won't be going to any bars but will be in restaurants that serve alcohol and will likely have a drink. Is this ok in FL while carrying?

**Sgt.K** · May 20th, 2016, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by splink

We are flying to Tampa tomorrow for a family vacation in Siesta Key. I am planning to bring the pistol along. This will be my first time flying with a firearm so just looking for any advise for the airport and carrying while in Florida.

I have a Pelican case for the pistol, mags, and ammo that I will cable to the suitcase. While in Florida I am going to use my Crossbreed Supertuck.

I likely won't be going to any bars but will be in restaurants that serve alcohol and will likely have a drink. Is this ok in FL while carrying?

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

**splink** · May 20th, 2016, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by Sgt.K

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

Thanks for that link. I just skimmed through Florida and see that I can carry into a restaurant that serves alcohol but I don't see anything that says whether or not I can have a drink with my dinner.

**ThatCrazyMtnGuy** · May 21st, 2016, 09:29 PM

I have flown to Florida with a firearm and carried it while I was there (S&W M&P Shield .40, Alien Gear holster). I didn't fly Southwest, but I imagine all airlines are the same. Your setup as shown in the pic looks to meet TSA requirements. I used a Nano Vault and made sure it was surrounded with clothing for extra padding, but I'm paranoid. Remember, YOU KEEP THE KEY! Don't let the TSA morons take it from you. The whole flying with a gun process was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. A conservative female journalist from DC once remarked that it was easier to get the gun on the plane that it was to get it from her house to the taxi cab. No lie.

As far as drinking goes, I have a pretty hard and fast rule about not drinking while carrying. That's just me. To my knowledge, there is no law in Florida that says you can't have an alcoholic beverage in hand and a pistol in a holster. If there were, my uncle would be in jail for life. If your concealment rig is tight, and you use discretion while out at dinner, there shouldn't be a problem.

And have fun in Florida. Hopefully it doesn't rain there every day like it has been here.

**Aggies Coach** · May 22nd, 2016, 04:55 PM

I fly into Florida at least once a month. You may not go into a bar carrying a firearm. You may go into a restaurant that has a bar as long as you are not seated at the bar in that restaurant. I wiil tell ya from personal experience that the police dont have to prove that you are "legally" drunk, but only that you are impaired and not using good judgement while carrying. I would limit your consumtion to one or two beers while carrying.

**Grimm** · May 23rd, 2016, 05:32 AM

I don't have time to look it up right now but based on my memory from when I went to Florida last summer, I believe the law is that your allowed to carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol but you can't drink. Your fine to sit at a table but you can't even sit at the bar and drink water.

**hornady** · May 23rd, 2016, 08:43 AM

In Florida the law states you can not enter any area of an establishment that Dispenses alcohol. You can go into a restaurant that sells alcohol so long as you do not enter the bar area.

**splink** · June 1st, 2016, 03:01 PM

Thanks for all the feedback! The trip went very well considering this was my first time flying with a firearm and our first time flying with our 1yr old.

Flying out of Pittsburgh I let the guy at the ticket counter know I had a firearm to declare. He had me fill out a piece of paper and tape it to the Pelican case. He then told me to stick it back in my bag and pointed me toward the special cargo TSA desk in the corner. TSA poked around my bag with the bomb wand and verified the Pelican case was locked and allowed me to lock the suitcase before sending the bag on its way. Neither Southwest nor TSA had me open the Pelican case to see the firearm. Both simply asked if it was unloaded. No questions about mags or ammo either. My bag came out with the rest of the bags in Tampa.

Flying out of Tampa was only slightly different. At the Southwest counter I declared and she asked if it was unloaded and had me tape on a new declaration sticker to the Pelican case. She then escorted me and my bag to the TSA area. He ran it through a machine after asking me if it was unloaded then gave me the go ahead to be on my way. Arriving in Pittsburgh my bag did NOT come out with the rest of the bags so I made my way over to the oversized/special luggage area and found it there. I never had to open the Pelican case and nobody asked about mags or ammo.

It was about as smooth as can be!

As for carrying in Florida I ended up carrying with my running band (http://www.pistolwear.com/pt-2-concealment-holster/) more than my crossbreed supertuck because it concealed better. The crossbreed likes to print with tshirts (mostly because I have a few too many pounds around the belly).