TSA to allow knives on passenger planes. Can DE razors be far behind?

[5savages]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-05/tsa-will-permit-knives-golf-clubs-on-u-s-planes.html

The agency will permit knives with retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point, TSA Administrator John Pistole said today at an aviation security conference in Brooklyn. The change, to conform with international rules, will take effect April 25.

Hopefully this will lead to DE razors being permitted on board (though per this story, they will still be banned, along with box cutters, though they admit it's a decision based on emotion, not logic).

 

[Wingnut]

About bloody time! As a corporate and ex-commuter pilot, I have always said that the TSA is nothing more than security theatre. Still, if you annoy them or disregard the rules, they can make your life VERY difficult.

It sure would be great to not have to use a cart whenever I flew commercial from here on out. We'll see...

 

[Songwind]

I wonder if TSA would even recognize a box of injector blades?

 

[djm2]

Note that a knife blade of 2.4 inches or less is a very small blade -- smaller than my favorite pocket knife.

 

[Lamboy]

Score!!!. Not that I can travel with my SOG trident yet...

 

[volleymh9]

why were whiffle ball bats ever banned to begin with?

 

[BubblesTGB]

Just read that the TSA is going to allow small knives, golf clubs and hockey sticks aboard planes starting next month.

I wonder what this means for carrying DE blades on board and if a straight will qualify as a "small knife"?

 

[rajagra]

Hmmm... I have a straight razor that small.

 

[5savages]

why were whiffle ball bats ever banned to begin with?

You've never heard of The Great Wiffle Ball Bat Massacre of 1987?

I wonder what went into the determination of the blade length. Why 2.4" and not, say, 2.5"?

I recall in the early 90's, when I was traveling back from a job site with my tools, and looking rather ragged. The TSA gal saw my 4" folding Buck knife, pulled it out and, in front of everyone in line, opened up the blade, waved it around, and yelled to her coworker, "Hey, is this knife too big to allow on board?". The look on other other passengers faces was priceless as the other TSA agent, glanced over, barely looking, and said, "Yeah, that's fine". Then I had to show the first TSA agent how to close it.


Oh how far we've come.

 

[BubblesTGB]

Sorry - just saw another thread already started. I'm late to the party, per usual.

 

[volleymh9]

You've never heard of The Great Wiffle Ball Bat Massacre of 1987?

It was a little before my time, I'll have to look it up on wikipedia, haha. I bet golfers are happy that they're $200 - $500 putter and driver can stay with them on board not.

 

[hawklet00]

i used to work for them and i can easily confirm that its nothing more than a waste of our tax dollars. everyone hates them. from airline personnel to passengers etc. i also know that they can cause you undue hardship, especially since they are usually power tripping police wannabe's. ive also heard that they are getting rid of body scanners too? am i the only one that has heard that?

 

[Steveareno]

Wonderful! I carry a little twin blade Case knife with me all the time. I just measured the longer blade and it's exactly 2 inches long and 3/8 inch wide. Now I don't have to worry about forgetting to take it out of my pocket at the airport (which has happened with other long-lost pocket knives). Surely they will allow DE blades eventually. I mean, how would you even wield a DE blade as a weapon anyway? I guess someone could fashion a handle and then insert a blade into it, but even so, you couldn't do much damage to anyone before being pounced on and pounded to death by the other passengers.

I wonder if there's some petition process you can use with the TSA to get a rule changed? If so, the B&B community should rise up and make allowing DE razors in carry-ons a priority.

 

[Lamboy]

Well I am sure this Sequester business in DC is cutting down on their funding. AKA they will be too stressed out to give real grief in due time.

 

[jesseix]

does nobody think its a bad idea to allow knives on planes??

 

[jpakstis]

I wonder what went into the determination of the blade length. Why 2.4" and not, say, 2.5"?

Because 2.4" equals 6 centimeters.

I recall in the early 90's, when I was traveling back from a job site with my tools, and looking rather ragged. The TSA gal saw my 4" folding Buck knife, pulled it out and, in front of everyone in line, opened up the blade, waved it around, and yelled to her coworker, "Hey, is this knife too big to allow on board?". The look on other other passengers faces was priceless as the other TSA agent, glanced over, barely looking, and said, "Yeah, that's fine". Then I had to show the first TSA agent how to close it.


Oh how far we've come.

I remember when there were no such things as metal detectors at the airport (or anywhere for that matter). My grandpa used to drive the mail truck on the tarmac and when I was kid we'd go to the gate just to see him driving around. Not that we'd be flying anywhere or anything; we'd just want to watch him driving around.

 

[hawklet00]

knives those size? not really. even box cutters really dont scare me much. you have to think about it this way. if someone knows most of the people on board have some sort or weapon, then maybe they very carefully reconsider doing something really stupid.

 

[jpakstis]

Well I am sure this Sequester business in DC is cutting down on their funding. AKA they will be too stressed out to give real grief in due time.

This is just a vast conspiracy to allow the airlines to charge someone for bringing a "banned" item like a 2.4" knife or a whiffle ball bat. We're through the looking glass.

 

[hawklet00]

maybe not. the airlines hate all the tsa crap almost as much as we do....

This is just a vast conspiracy to allow the airlines to charge someone for bringing a "banned" item like a 2.4" knife or a whiffle ball bat. We're through the looking glass.

 

[jbradley]

does nobody think its a bad idea to allow knives on planes??

Not really, no. If we really wanted to eliminate the threat, we would allow profiling. Say what you want, it works. Think about it, the TSA will search a grandmother or a child, and let 6 middle eastern men get on without looking at them. I am going to stop now, we are getting into the political venue, which is a no-no on this forum.