Story time.
It was early spring in 2003. I was flying to California to attend a police training conference (ASLET for you old timers). It was only the second flight I had taken after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For those of you who were flying in those times, you might remember the utter chaos air travel was like in the early days of the TSA’s existence.
Airplane hijackings were still on everyone’s mind. People were super jumpy and security conscious. Everyone was covertly planning tactics for killing airplane hijackers should their plane be targeted. With the newly developed TSA security procedures starting to become standardized, people like me were even more worried that the next wave of terrorist attacks would take place in the unsecured areas (like the ticketing area, security screening lines, or baggage claim) of the airport rather than on the plane itself. Passenger anxiety levels were off the chart.
I remember the night like it was just yesterday. I was flying Southwest airlines from Columbus, Ohio to Ontario, California. Back then you had to call Southwest Airlines on the telephone to check in exactly 24 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure time. Boarding groups were assigned depending on how closely you made your check in phone call to the exact minute your plane was set to depart the following day. I was thrilled because I made my call at precisely the right moment and was assigned boarding group “A.” I got my preferred aisle seat in the front of the plane. This flight wouldn’t be so bad after all.
About an hour before we were scheduled to arrive, the pilot got on the PA system and announced that our destination airport was currently completely closed down due to dangerously high winds. No planes in. No planes out. The airport was expected to remain closed to arriving/departing air traffic for at least four more hours. We were forced to divert to another airport (LAX). With all of Ontario’s landings diverted to Los Angeles, LAX was an overbooked disaster. Our pilot flew leisurely circles in the bumpy air around LA for what seemed like forever until he was given clearance to land.
It was almost midnight before we were safely on the ground. The baggage claim area was ridiculously crowded with hundreds of clueless travelers trying to get their bags and re-book flights to Ontario for the following day. Some of the rest of us tried to get ground transportation to Ontario instead. It was mass confusion in the days before smart phones, airline apps to re-book flights, and Uber. As I was waiting for my checked bag, I noticed a large street gang presence in the baggage claim area. The gangbangers were hassling vulnerable travelers and working hard to steal luggage whenever there wasn’t a cop in sight.
I got my bag and decided to arm myself as soon as possible with the Glock 27 I had packed for the trip. I didn’t think highly of the 9mm cartridge back in those days. Bigger was always better. Besides that, the little .40 baby Glock was one of the few semi-auto pistols I owned at the time that had a magazine holding 10 or fewer rounds (to comply with Cali’s ridiculous magazine capacity restrictions).
I took my suitcase into the the closest restroom. Perfect luck. The men’s room was unoccupied. I locked myself in the handicapped stall and removed my gun case from my checked bag. I stuffed a magazine full of Federal Hydra Shok ammunition. I had just inserted the magazine and was racking the slide as I heard the bathroom door open and two men enter. The sound seemed to echo in the small space as I sent the slide forward. The two men stopped talking.
I holstered my Glock and opened the stall door to see two uniformed police officers watching me with guns out at low ready. They had heard me rack my pistol’s slide and ordered me to put my hands on my head, turn around, and get down on my knees. I immediately complied.
With hands on my head, I explained to the officers that I was an off duty cop and told them my credentials were in a wallet in my back pocket. One officer approached me, took control of my hands and fished my wallet out of my pocket. Once he saw my badge he relaxed and helped me to my feet.
The cops had heard the closing of my pistol’s slide and recognized the sound. There were very few law abiding armed citizens in California in those days and the cops assumed I was another gang banger with a gun until they saw my credentials.
No harm, no foul. It was all good. The cops helped me get bus transportation to Ontario and the rest of my night was uneventful.
I’ve never forgotten that late night in Los Angeles and have been extra cautious about how I arm myself when my plane lands at a new airport.
Since I retired from my cop job, I now travel all over the country teaching gun classes several times a month. I’ve devised an efficient system to arm myself upon arrival without seeing any more local cops’ gun muzzles. I have a three-tiered system. This is what I do:
Tier One: Plane weapon(s).
At one point in time, I carried all kinds of covert weapons onto a plane. After a couple potentially dangerous incidents on flights, I realized that if I didn’t have the weapon on my person, I wouldn’t be able to access it in time to use it. I would be unlikely to be able to retrieve any weapon from my carry on bag stashed in an overhead bin.
If I’m restricted to what I have on my person, how many weapons could I use at one time? I’ve defaulted to just carrying a flashlight as a small impact weapon. I can smash someone’s face really well with that if I have to do so.
The light I carry on the plane is the Streamlight Wedge flashlight. I absolutely hate the switch for “tactical” use. It doesn’t work well when used with a handgun. But I’m not carrying a handgun on the plane and am not going to get the chance to utilize my fancy “flash and move” tactics. The switch doesn’t matter much in that context.
The wedge carries easily and sits flat in my pants pocket. It fits the hand well and works as an excellent impact weapon when held in the reverse grip. The light is bright and rechargeable if I need it. It serves my needs for plane carry.
I carry a backup flashlight with a better switching system and a headlamp in my carry on bag. When I get to my hotel, I swap the Streamlight for my Fenix that has a more useful switching system.
I could understand if someone wanted to substitute a tactical pen for the flashlight in this scenario. I prefer the flashlight because it doesn’t generate as much attention from TSA officers when I carry it. If you carry a tactical pen, pick one that doesn’t look so “tactical” if you want to get it on your flight.
Tier Two: Immediate Access Airport Weapons
Remembering my interaction with the cops in the L.A. airport, I choose not to access my firearms while on airport property. Instead, I have a folding knife and a can of POM pepper spray placed in a handy location just inside the opening of my checked bag. I get my bag and then quickly place the pepper spray in my left front pocket and my knife clipped to the appendix position in my waistband. My flashlight remains clipped in my right front pocket.
I’ve traveled through some very shady places all over the world armed with just a flashlight, a blade, and some spray. I think I can safely navigate the shuttle to the rental car center using the same tools.
Tier Three: Revolver in the Rental
I generally fly with both a .38 snub revolver and my normal EDC carry Glock 19. I carry ammunition for the .38 in the case with the guns. I have wadcutter carry loads for the cylinder and more streamlined shaped hollow points for the speed strip I carry for reloads. The snub revolver is equipped with a Clipdraw so that I can quickly load it and tuck it in my waistband. The revolver is faster and easier to load than the Glock.
I normally rent an SUV. I place my suitcase in the rear compartment and use my body to shield my actions as I remove my gun case, load my revolver and tuck it into my waistband.
The revolver gets me safely to my hotel where I have more time and privacy to load up my Glock and spare magazine.
Bottom Line
This may seem like a lot of effort for many of you. I know some of you are thinking: “I’m legal to carry in my destination. Why can’t I just load up my semi auto pistol and spare magazines in the airport bathroom and be on my way?”
You most certainly can. But you are forgetting that people are crazy and sometimes inaccurately portray the facts of what’s happening when they call the police to report the “man with a gun” in the airport bathroom. You also forget that most of our newly hired police officers are not gun people and are poorly trained to handle armed citizens. Do you want to put yourself in the same position as the man recently shot by the Jacksonville sheriff’s deputy removing his legally carried pistol?
I don’t. I’m honestly more worried about getting mistakenly shot by the police or another armed citizen than I am about getting robbed or attacked in the airport baggage claim area or rental car center.
I urge you to objectively evaluate your potential threats and devise a system for intelligently arming yourself after an airline flight.
