Can anyone tell me the proper way of taking a handgun on vacation? I will be flying from Indiana to Nevada and want to take my ccw with me. What is the proper way of packing it in my luggage? Not my carry on. Do I need to report it to the airlines? I haven't flown in about 15 years. Any help is appreciated.

You must check with your air carrier to be sure they allow you to transport a firearm. Some do and some don't. It then must be declared, packaged in a locked hard sided case, unloaded of course, and can either be its own piece of luggage or can be inside another piece. If you are taking ammo with you it must be securely packaged, original manufacture packaging is ok as long as the rounds aren't loose.


http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1188.shtm

 

Check your airline.  USAir lets you fly with two longguns, 5 handguns, or some combo I can't remember right now.  They'll let you put ammo in the same case as the firearm, but it must be in factory packaging (i.e. no loaded mags).

Firearms must be placed in a locked, hardsided case that only you have the key/combo to (no TSA locks).  You can then place this locked case inside your regular checked baggage if you wish.  Firearms must be declared to the ticket agent; they'll giev you a declaration form to sign and then whistle up TSA to make sure it's unloaded and properly packed.

It's pretty much a no-brainer.

Thanks guys. This was all very helpful, I had no idea where to start with this. Thanks again.

Depends in the airline.

TSA and federal rules allow it to be in the same container as the firearm.

Keep in mind that NV does not honor an IN CCW permit, so you will probably have to leave it in the hotel to stay legal. You should also look up NV laws regarding transporting/carrying a handgun before the trip.