Small Knives on Airlines

[201er]

What's the big fricken deal? Encompassed in the term "small knives" are nail clippers, files, corkscrews, and a ton of other harmless little gadgets that people carry around with them. Let's not forget that they are already handing out knives to every passenger even in economy class with their meals now. It's ridiculous to prohibit people from taking small scissors or nail clippers and then be handing out knives onboard.

[Seth]

I actually see both sides of the argument. 

 

That being said, I do carry a small knife/tool on me nearly everywhere, and when I fly the airlines and don't check a bag, I feel naked not having a tool/pocket knife on me at my destination.

 

-Seth

[Alan Fox]

I'm sure thats what they said about box cutters at one time , No thanks , I'll take the zero tolerance when it comes to airline travel.....

[aviatoreb]

I actually see both sides of the argument. 

 

That being said, I do carry a small knife/tool on me nearly everywhere, and when I fly the airlines and don't check a bag, I feel naked not having a tool/pocket knife on me at my destination.

 

-Seth

 

I used to carry a small swiss army knife with me on my key chain at all times.  I kept having them confiscated after 9/11 at the tsa.   I couldn't remember to leave it off my key chain.  Like a half dozen swiss army knives - I kept rebuying, they kept confiscating.  Back then the TSA had a big bucket filled with all sorts of pointy things they confiscated from people.

 

I don't care - I am perfectly happy not to have my pointy thing on person.  The details leading to 9/11 have changed with locked cockpits though.

[Jamie]

I'm sure thats what they said about box cutters at one time , No thanks , I'll take the zero tolerance when it comes to airline travel.....

 

The box cutters weren't the problem. For years the standard advice was to do whatever you were told by the hijackers to minimize your risk of being injured. Well, guess what... that doesn't work when the end goal of the hijacker IS death.

 

Explain to me how someone is going to take over a plane with a knife having a blade length less than 2.5" and a width <= 0.5" unless everyone on the plane has been conditioned to faint dead away at the site of a pocket knife? We need less "zero tolerance" and more common sense. There was a time in this country when nearly every adult male carried a pocket knife and planes weren't dropping out of the sky.

[Mooneymite]

I'm sure thats what they said about box cutters at one time , No thanks , I'll take the zero tolerance when it comes to airline travel.....

 

Actually, I'd feel safer if everyone was required to carry an assault weapon when travelling on the airlines.

 

Mutually assured destruction (MAD) worked for the entire cold war and some of the participants were a lot more dangerous than the typical airline passenger!

 

 

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but you can't board until you have your ammo clip completely filled.  We want everyone to be equally dangerous."

[Hank]

I'm sure thats what they said about box cutters at one time , No thanks , I'll take the zero tolerance when it comes to airline travel.....

 

Sorry, but the only "zero tolerance" I have is for people who suggest zero tolerance rules to replace judgement. Like suspending first graders for "violent behavior" because they drew a picture of a gun.

 

A 2½" knife isn't a weapon; locking blades are not allowed; you're only going to anger your opponent and  hurt yourself tyring to fight with a small, folding, non-locking blade.

 

 

 

P.S.--I use the other 7 implements on my Swiss Army knife more often than the large blade. I've even used the screwdriver blade to remove my cowling side panels.

[aaronk25]

We should have a exemption to the law that allows people with "permits to carry" to be able to carry anywhere including on a airliner. Maybe they need increased training but if there were 20 people on a plane carrying the bad guys wouldn't stand a chance.

Some people feel uncomfortable about being by someone who has a loaded pistol, but there is people that I've been around for a long time that never knew I carried, and when I told them they said it makes them nervous.

But when I asked them if they were in a situation where a bad guy had a gun they would be glad I was carrying.

[aaronk25]

None taken. I think some advanced level of training, should be required, I mean a real skills and knowledge test. A person would have to be absolutely certain before they decided to take a shot and in addition certain they could make the shot also.

[kerry]

This topic makes me think of another scenario.  I fly to California often.  Do the crazy California gun laws apply when carrying guns in my private airplane.  In your car you have to have your gun in the trunk and your ammo in a seperate locked container.  SUV's and airplanes don't have trunks.

[wiguy]

 That was then, this is now. I agree, boxcutters were not the main problem that gave us 9-11. After the failed intel, it was the common response to a high-jacking. The small knives they mention don't bother me.  Right now someone with ill intent can sharpen up a credit card edge & have an undetecable knife.

[bd32322]

We should have a exemption to the law that allows people with "permits to carry" to be able to carry anywhere including on a airliner. Maybe they need increased training but if there were 20 people on a plane carrying the bad guys wouldn't stand a chance.

Some people feel uncomfortable about being by someone who has a loaded pistol, but there is people that I've been around for a long time that never knew I carried, and when I told them they said it makes them nervous.

But when I asked them if they were in a situation where a bad guy had a gun they would be glad I was carrying.

Dont take this as an against gun or for guns statement.

I wish to point out that you are taking two unrelated scenarios and using one to justify the other. I would also be nervous if every Tom, Dick and Harry started carrying guns around me. Statistically one of them is going to loose it some day and use the gun on innocents. . Or someone will try and play the hero and show disproportionate response to the crime or perceived crime. Thats where the unease comes from.

Its like sitting next to someone with a pet rattlesnake locked up in a box. If the person goes crazy we will have snakes on a plane 2!

Your other statement about people wanting a gun near a bad guy is obvious - WHEN it becomes clear who the bad guy is. Heck, even an avid anti-gun supporter will want something for self defense then - rattlesnake or gun - gun would be better.

Problem is deciding which of the above two is more likely to happen to you!

[bd32322]

What's the big fricken deal? Encompassed in the term "small knives" are nail clippers, files, corkscrews, and a ton of other harmless little gadgets that people carry around with them. Let's not forget that they are already handing out knives to every passenger even in economy class with their meals now. It's ridiculous to prohibit people from taking small scissors or nail clippers and then be handing out knives onboard.

Which airline is this that provides meals in economy?!! The most I have been able to get is a sandwich which I bought

[N201MKTurbo]

I was flying to Singapore in Dec of 2011 and ANA served me dinner with these cute little stainless steel steak knives. I kept the knife as a souvenir, I dropped it into my laptop bag. I found it the other day, it has made at least 30 airline flights....

[1964-M20E]

Several years ago not too long after 9-11 I was leaving KMSY and I went thorugh security 3 times that morniing my Leatherman made it the first two times.  Told the TSA guy thanks i was looking for my Leatherman I thought I lost it.

[FloridaMan]

The box cutters weren't the problem. For years the standard advice was to do whatever you were told by the hijackers to minimize your risk of being injured. Well, guess what... that doesn't work when the end goal of the hijacker IS death.

 

Explain to me how someone is going to take over a plane with a knife having a blade length less than 2.5" and a width <= 0.5" unless everyone on the plane has been conditioned to faint dead away at the site of a pocket knife? We need less "zero tolerance" and more common sense. There was a time in this country when nearly every adult male carried a pocket knife and planes weren't dropping out of the sky.

 

There was a time in this country, not much more than a decade ago, that all the cars in rural high school parking lots had semi-automatic rifles, some of them "military style" hanging up in gun racks on campus. 

[Jamie]

Most of those rifles are still there, so to speak, but they aren't in the window any more. Schools have their "zero tolerance" policies, so their ass is covered, and the kids have the rifles under the seat so they don't have to deal with it.

 

Can you Texans hurry up and leave the union? I'd like to apply for citizenship.

[N201MKTurbo]

When I was in High School the ROTC guys used to march all over campus with real rifles.

[RJBrown]

When I was in High School the ROTC guys used to march all over campus with real rifles.

Common sense no longer exists at schools. Police were called and a girl was expelled for having a ROTC, solid wood "rifle" in her car. The current intolerance is a political ploy to disarm America and destroy the second amendment. last time they were needed to oppose an oppressive central government, circa 1776, they were called "Patriots" next time we are needed we will be called "domestic terrorists"

[flyboy0681]

Actually, I'd feel safer if everyone was required to carry an assault weapon when travelling on the airlines.

 

 

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