Flying internationally with a rifle question

I’m lucky to be travelling to NZ to hunt red stags. I have all my NZ paperwork/firearms license in line and am not worried about getting into the country. I have to connect through LA from Vancouver and then head to NZ (There were no direct flights available for the dates I needed to leave). My question is, will I need to have the US rifle permits and go through Customs in LA as well or since I’ll just be in the airport in LA I’d just have to go through customs in NZ. I’ve called the us border patrol and tsa but they aren’t open on the weekends and I’m impatient so if anyone has any insight I’d appreciate it. Otherwise I’ll just have to wait until Monday. Thanks

I havnt been to NZ but I travel into and through the US hunting. Africa etc.

I’m going to guess you are going to go through US customs either in Vancouver or LA. When you transit through the USA (and not staying) you don’t need to have an ATF form. I would have some kind of proof of ownership of the rifle with you and the NZ paperwork and be able to show you are leaving the US promptly. Usually Americans don’t care about guns and I have a harder time coming back into Canada.

You will have to fill out paperwork for the airline at check in then will have to show TSA your rifle. Then watch out for it getting yanked in LA. I’d put a AirTag in the case. Check the airline regulations on where your ammo’s supposed to be.

and remember every airline agent, tsa agent, and boarder agent interprets the rules different so you will have different hoops to jump everytime.

That’s helpful. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have a direct flight home but going through LAX on the way down worries me a bit for sure.

As long as your luggage is checked through and you don't have to pick it up in LA you should be fine.

You're probably not actually 'entering' the USA - you're transiting through. The airport is kind of a neutral ground.

If you have to pick up your luggage and recheck it you'll have to unlock it and show it to TSA. Make sure you have the special TSA locks. THey are ones that the TSA can unlock if they need to check your luggage. I don't know the Canuk or NZ regulations but in the USA your firearm needs to be locked with a TSA lock. Other than that the USA is really easy for transporting firearms.

Not always the case. I have been checked through to the destination on the bag tags and the on 3 occasions that my guns have been pulled off. Vancouver twice and Atlanta once.

The 1st time I didn’t know until I was flagged boarding the plane then had to go all the way back out thank goodness they held the flight, 2nd time I knew better and asked an agent early and they reluctantly checked for me. And the 3rd time I got real smart and had an AirTag in the case and showed the security exactly where my rifle case was.

Edit—All were layovers and no one notified me. I found out last minute or dug around to find out myself. The overweight/sporting goods get packed seperate from the rest of the baggage so sometimes the just don’t make it with the rest. And sometimes the gun cases get flagged for whatever reason. Different in a lot of airports. I have gone through Dallas/Fort worth and Detroit different trips with a revolver and no questions.

I flew to NZ in 2015 and I did Van to San Fran to Christchurch...and through LA on the way home....I was treated to extra screening and interrogation at every stop, my rifle case was opened for inspection at every stop along the trip, making sure the ammo wasn't in there I believe...they even pulled the foam out of the case lol

one of the agents in NZ said if they miss something, and the next airport finds it, they get big fines

in Christchurch they wanted to inspect the serial number to match the import paperwork...a steel table in front of an office window, so I removed the rifle from the case and presented it on the table, pointed where they SN is on the action and they freaked out hahhaa....."nah mate it's not the US here, you can't just whip out a rifle like that"......not sure they expected, they can do their jobs and look on their own next time....something to consider if you're in that position lol