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Carrying a real gun as hand luggage is surely a no-no. But what about a hot air gun/heat gun (among other names)?

Besides the nominal and formal resemblance to a real gun, it can generate heat of about 500 C when plugged. And since we are at it, can I carry a soldering iron (max temp. 400 C) with me too?

I fly mostly EU flights and prefer to carry everything in my carry on. Are there regulations against these tools?

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    The misdirection in the title was clever, but not appropriate for this site. For one thing, it would make it hard for someone else with the same question to find it. I edited.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 2:10
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    @NateEldredge: party pooper.
    – Pierre B
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 2:12
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    You should check out gaming.stackexchange.com though, they love that sort of thing over there.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 2:16
  • Just using common sense: a heat gun doesn’t look any more like a gun than your average drill. In my eyes, it resembles a hair dryer much more than a gun. You can’t actually use it to generate heat without power and an aeroplane doesn’t have the sockets you would need with the power you would need. So in the end it’s just a heavy hammer if you want to use it as a weapon. I would assume it’s allowed.
    – Jan
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 9:41
  • Semi-duplicate question on soldering irons: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/61047/…
    – Stuart F
    Commented Dec 14, 2018 at 12:28

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Contact the airline. EU hand luggage regulations don't say anything about such items, but various airlines have slightly different rules and will be able to advise you. (And for clarity, you're more likely to be able to take it in hand luggage than checked baggage, with airlines understandably reluctant to put heat-generating items in the hold.)

Most airline rules don't specifically mention heat guns, but many explicitly mention soldering irons. Both come under the category of "heat-producing articles". British Airways and Emirates say "needs approval"/"contact us". Easyjet says "Heat producing articles, i.e. battery-operated equipment such as underwater torches and soldering equipment which, generate extreme heat and can cause fire, may be carried in carry-on baggage only. The heat producing component, or the energy source, must be removed to prevent unintentional functioning during transport."

Note: CAA regulations (in the UK) and other sources (Good Housekeeping, Skyscanner) seem clear that you can carry a hair dryer, hair straighteners, and similar items that can get hot, but nobody says they have to be consistent.

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