This happened to me back in May. I was lazy and didn't post about until now.

So, I get ready to go flying from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to Mobile, AL via Atlanta. This is to visit friends and a semi-high school reunion. A couple of us are going to go shooting, so I pack along my Armalite AR-180B.

My dad drives me up to the airport. We walk up to the ticket counter, and do that. The woman at the counter looks at the case and says "Is that a bow, or a firearm?"
"It's a rifle" I say.
"Can you open it up for me so I can see it is unloaded?"
"Sure thing" (I thought this was going well)

So this woman pulls out my AR-180B, looks at the empty mag well, put the rifle to her shoulder, POINTS IT AT HER COWORKER, and looks at the back of the plate on the guide rod assembly.
Coworker: "::laughs:: Don't point that at me."

She then nods at the rifle, places it back in the case, and drops in the little tag. She never actually opened the action.
"Okay, you can lock it up now"

My dad and I look at each other with a raised eyebrow. I shrug, and put it in the case.

On the way back, the guy in Mobile didn't even look to see that I actually had a firearm in the case, just handed me the card.

It was all really really stupid.

The only really smart part about the whole thing, was when I landed back in Wilkes-Barre, the baggage handler walked my rifle into the claim area, I walked up, he asked if it was mine, and he asked to see my baggage ticket, and my ID. Then he handed it to me. I appreciated that security.

I flew to BRC with a Pelican 1750 full of guns.  At Oakland Airport, the clerk took a cursory glance before commenting on how nice what I had looked and placing the tag inside.  At St.Louie, the clerk knew enough to ask me to show that they were empty and unloaded.  So I made sure to hold them up and show them to her as I safed them. [:)]

St. Louie dumped them on the baggage claim.  Oakland had an unmanned area where the "odd" baggage was placed for you to pick up.  In neither case was I asked for a claim ticket.  [rolleyes]