Absolutely agreed
Hogpatrol, but precisely because, as you say so well...
...I have come to the conclusion that whichever lock I use does not really matter and I might as well make the TSA folks' work as easy as possible IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE CHANCES THAT THE GUN CASE SHOWS UP AT DESTINATION, because any way, TSA or no TSA, the lock will not prevent the case to be open if it gets in the wrong hands.
And as
Philip Glass, says...
... with a high risk that the gun case then does not make it on the plane.
So, to make a long story short:
this is all about risk mitigation, and in my analysis, TSA locks yield a lower risk situation (possibility of gun theft from an illegal possessor of a TSA key - or a dremel
); while non-TSA locks yield, in my analysis, a higher risk situation (TSA cannot find you to open the case; TSA cannot or does not want to bother cutting hardened locks; TSA refuses clearance on a subsequently unlocked case after cutting the locks; etc. etc.) resulting in the gun case not making it on the plane, hence ruining your day (and hunt?), and then God knows where the case ends up i.e. additional possibility of gun loss).
I completely understand that other folks may come to a different decision in their own risk/benefit analysis, but the analysis should be made with the factual data, i.e. in this case: TSA locks are legal.
