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Senators file legislation to block small knives on airplanes

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TheDemSocialist

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ens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have filed legislation to block the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from allowing small knives on airplanes.

Schumer announced the legislative effort, which would force the TSA to reverse its decision to remove knives with blades shorter than 2.36 inches from its list of prohibited items, on Twitter.

“Introduced amendment to prevent TSA from allowing passengers to carry small knives onto planes again with @lisamurkowski,” Schumer tweeted.
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Read more: Senators file legislation to block small knives on airplanes - The Hill's Transportation Report


Seems like common sense to me. All it took to hijack planes on 9/11 was box cutters...
 
samsmart said:
Box cutters would still be prohibited according the TSA's new regulations.
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Yes, but there isn't much difference between a box cutter and the knives they WOULD allow.

Is somebody intent on causing harm going to say, "Oh, well those knives...those knives won't work...it's GOT to be a box cutter."

Then again, somebody intent on causing harm is going to find a way, hell or high water...so perhaps all of these restrictions are just ridiculous.

Hell, I couldn't carry a lighter through security, but I could buy one once I got inside the terminal proper. How much sense does THAT make?
 
tessaesque said:
Yes, but there isn't much difference between a box cutter and the knives they WOULD allow.

Is somebody intent on causing harm going to say, "Oh, well those knives...those knives won't work...it's GOT to be a box cutter."

Then again, somebody intent on causing harm is going to find a way, hell or high water...so perhaps all of these restrictions are just ridiculous.

Hell, I couldn't carry a lighter through security, but I could buy one once I got inside the terminal proper. How much sense does THAT make?
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Well, I think one reason for the change is because I imagine that a lot of people carry Swiss Army knives with them when they travel so they are well prepared for emergencies. Especially considering the number of military veterans out there. So they're just getting tired of impounding them.

Also, I think the TSA may feel that the other precautions they've taken may be enough to foil a takeover attempt.
 
samsmart said:
Well, I think one reason for the change is because I imagine that a lot of people carry Swiss Army knives with them when they travel so they are well prepared for emergencies. Especially considering the number of military veterans out there. So they're just getting tired of impounding them..
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HA! That was the official explanation given, the huge groundswell of Americans desperately thirsting to carry Swiss Army Knives on airplanes.
 
tessaesque said:
Yes, but there isn't much difference between a box cutter and the knives they WOULD allow.

Is somebody intent on causing harm going to say, "Oh, well those knives...those knives won't work...it's GOT to be a box cutter."

Then again, somebody intent on causing harm is going to find a way, hell or high water...so perhaps all of these restrictions are just ridiculous.

Hell, I couldn't carry a lighter through security, but I could buy one once I got inside the terminal proper. How much sense does THAT make?
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So you think the correct solution is to not allow law abiding citizens to carry these items? I wonder what other line of thinking this is currently being applied to?
 
samsmart said:
Well, I think one reason for the change is because I imagine that a lot of people carry Swiss Army knives with them when they travel so they are well prepared for emergencies. Especially considering the number of military veterans out there. So they're just getting tired of impounding them.

Also, I think the TSA may feel that the other precautions they've taken may be enough to foil a takeover attempt.
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I carry a Swiss Army Knife all the time except when I fly.

If there are 500 people on a plane with knives and 2 terrorists, I think we are looking at the same mathematics as if there were 6 million Jews in Germany that hadn't been disarmed instead of the actual, real world situation of disarmed citizens.

In any event, the paradigm is different today. At the time of the 9/11 hijackings, the instruction was to be passive and wait for it to be over. Now the paradigm is to kick butt and take names.

If I'm on a plane and some idiot starts to try to take it down, I'm on him with the rest of the passengers. If we can identify the terrorist before he blows us up, why not do it this way instead of letting the cops figure it out which guy was the bad guy at the crash scene?
 
Ray410 said:
HA! That was the official explanation given, the huge groundswell of Americans desperately thirsting to carry Swiss Army Knives on airplanes.
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I've already donated two Swiss Army Knives to the TSA.
 
The new knife regulations, if I remember correctly, allow knives up to 2.3 inches or so. I carry a small pocket knife most of the time, but it exceeds the limit. I don't see much change.
 
No one's going to be able to hijack a plane with mere small blades again. The only reason the 9/11 hijackers succeeded (on 3 of 4 planes) was because no hijacking had ever ended that way before. Everyone in the cabin -- or at least enough of them -- will be on top of anyone who tries in seconds.
 
The last time I flew, I decalred my buck knife, put it in my checked baggage and retrieved it when after I landed.
 
Harshaw said:
No one's going to be able to hijack a plane with mere small blades again. The only reason the 9/11 hijackers succeeded (on 3 of 4 planes) was because no hijacking had ever ended that way before. Everyone in the cabin -- or at least enough of them -- will be on top of anyone who tries in seconds.
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The main reason--IMO--that the 9/11 hijackers succeeded, was because they were sporting fake bomb vests, that the passengers believed to be real...and, no hijacking had ever ended that way before.

If someone jumped up with a box-cutter, now, they would suffer a good old fashion ass whippin'.
 
TheNextEra said:
So you think the correct solution is to not allow law abiding citizens to carry these items? I wonder what other line of thinking this is currently being applied to?
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Personally, I think it's all ridiculous. We've already shown how flawed the system is, and the solution (apparently) is to make it even more illogical and convoluted, according to the TSA and law makers.
 
tessaesque said:
Personally, I think it's all ridiculous. We've already shown how flawed the system is, and the solution (apparently) is to make it even more illogical and convoluted, according to the TSA and law makers.
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Yeah I read your response that I quoted you previously wrong so my apologies. I just think the whole system is stupid.
 
MaggieD said:
I fail to see why it is the legislature's job to decide what is allowed on airplanes. I look at it as simple grandstanding.
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Because the TSA is a federal agency.
 
TheNextEra said:
Yeah I read your response that I quoted you previously wrong so my apologies. I just think the whole system is stupid.
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The system should infuriate any free citizen.
 
If people on the plane had knives, perhaps the hijacking would have failed. Beside, what hijacker is gonna try with a box cutter - again. We cannot live in the past, we must recognize the present. The presence of air marshals and the heightened-awareness of passangers has superseded worrying about box cutters. At this point, no hijacker would use such an easily foilable device; no one is buying the "we'll land and make demands" routine and will fail to risk life and limb against a mere shard of metal. Even then and especially now, allowing pocket knives works in the public's favor.

Hijackers with little knives just don't cut mustard anymore. There's no need to fear such. Let's arm ourselves a little as well.
 
TheNextEra said:
Yeah I read your response that I quoted you previously wrong so my apologies. I just think the whole system is stupid.
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No worries. When I read back over my post I saw how it could have been taken differently.
 
MaggieD said:
I fail to see why it is the legislature's job to decide what is allowed on airplanes. I look at it as simple grandstanding.

Bring on the hearings. Another way to waste time and taxpayer dollars.
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Wouldn't it be nice if they did their real job instead of just wasting time at the water cooler?
 
Well when 'unelected' officials make decisions you don't like (EPA, 'activist' judges) you demand 'democracy' and the elected officials to take over.

NOW it's the opposite... :confused:

From what the TSA agent told me the knife can't have a lock on it's blade, so box cutters and most clip knives are out. I have seen quite a few small pocket knives confiscated or given to a family member seeing them off. My knife is too big and locks so I have a knife waiting for me or check one through. (someone opined the 'west' has good ol' boys with gas guzzling pick-ups, I'd say you will find 7 clip knives on 10 fellas you see walk into a small town gas station.)

Now since 9-11 everyone's attitude has changed when it comes to aircraft security, before people sat back passive and let the hijackers land the plane someplace to demand ... something. Now a drunk passenger gets taped to his seat, people are very pro-active now. Not to mention the new never open the cockpit door without a cart blocking the walkway, and a re-enforced door- it is a far different aircraft than pre- 9/11.

Now if I wanted a kick ass weapon onboard I watch the old dudes board, mark where they sit. I have noticed they almost all have sweet METAL canes that have wicked crooked handles.

I may not be Irish but I can appreciate a shillelagh... ;)
 
Forget knives, I can't bring my nunchucks but some maniac with a hockey stick can?
 
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