TSA to allow small nonlocking knives.

Bobson said:

That doesn't sound very fair. Do you think they'll at least wait to land the plane before removing passengers?

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I think they should do that more often. People are really going to shape up if they realize they might be deposited over the North Atlantic if they start acting up after a few cocktails

I can see a C&W ballad about that coming soon:

I went to the airport
to pick up Mama from the plane
but poor Mama got a little too high
an they hadda throw Mama from the plane
an now I`m standing in the cemetary
A-crying in the rain!

One of the benefits of capitalism: I'm sure that in almost no time Spyderco, CRKT, Buck, etc., will be offering a variety of "TSA-approved" pocket knives, with short legal-limit blades in full-size handles and with assisted opening.

JShirley said:

WardenWolf,

Where do you find that nail clippers aren't allowed?

John

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Not speaking for Warden, but it is a pretty common misconception, so much so that the TSA wrote a blog post about it: TSA Urban Legends

hso said:

Since a locking blade is a safety feature we need to push to have the locking blade restriction removed..

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To the authority types a locking blade is such a safety feature that it is completely outlawed in the UK. No self respecting regulator would ever move farther away from Europe's overregulation.

Other than the fact that it rules out thousands of perfectly good little pocket folders, can anyone come up with what the TSA might be thinking when it comes to their restrictions on:

1. Blade width (they mean height, from spine to cutting edge)
2. Locking mechanism
3. Contoured handle

I can understand the blade length limit, obviously.

#1 - But I can't understand what the height of a short stout blade like the Spyderco Squeak has to do with danger/safety. Isn't it physically easier to stab/puncture with a skinny narrow blade than a short stubby fat one?

#2 - And as far as a locking blade - can anyone imagine a scenario where a 2.36" blade with a spine lock is more deadly to a knife victim than a 2.36" non-locking blade? The only danger I see is to the user themselves if they're using the non-locking blade and have the blade close on their finger.

#3 - This one seems the most nonsensical. If a knife handle is shaped with slight grooves for your fingers to grip it, how is that more deadly or dangerous than a pill-shaped SAK handle?

I'm honestly trying to understand why these features are thought of as dangerous. Other than cosmetics, and safety to the actual knife user's hand, what differences do they make? It seems a little bit like the barrel shroud in the AWB debate.

OregonJohnny, it seems to be about as arbitrary as many of the criteria that go along with banning "assault weapons." IMO at least.

so how many different blades will be allowed on a Swiss Army Knife? I think the range could be from 2 or so to a lot as in the case of the Champ?

OK, I'm still trying to figure out what they mean by a contoured handle.

Is the fact that my little pen knife, that really amounts to no more than men's jewelry disallowed because the handle is curved to fit the curved blade?

Looking at the graphic they published, I'd imagine the answer to be yes. They seem to be saying "molded" means "not straight."

If you look at their diagrams here http://blog.tsa.gov/2013/03/tsa-prohibited-items-list-changing_5.html you will see that the slightest finger groove is excluded, and they show a Spyderco being specifically excluded.

Sad, the comments following it show people are afraid to travel because someone now might have a 2.36" dangerous weapon with them.

I guess the knowledge that they are surrounded by people carrying much more dangerous instruments everywhere they go would probably cause many of them to become shut-ins.

Once again, perception is everything. Molded handles indeed.

I've got a couple of Barlows that would comply under the new rules. When I was traveling for business, I always had a knife in my checked baggage. Also, after the first trip out, one in my hotel room. Most of the time they were my Barlows. Now they could have made the trip in my pocket.

Aside from how arbitrary the restrictions seem, by my reading, I think that a lot of the small leatherman tools are in compliance, which makes me happy.

Unfortunately, I travel internationally frequently, and I'm pretty certain it will take a while before international airport security agencies follow suit, if at all.

Most leatherman tools lock the tool in use open. That bans them under the locking blade provision. If you have one that does not lock you could be ok.

The 1/2 wide thing is going to cause problems. I thought that they meant wide when they said wide. Someone earlier said that they meant to say high (as in blade height). The knuckle head at the table with interpret it which ever way causes you the most grief.

Jim

Fryerpower said:

Most leatherman tools lock the tool in use open. That bans them under the locking blade provision. If you have one that does not lock you could be ok.

The 1/2 wide thing is going to cause problems. I thought that they meant wide when they said wide. Someone earlier said that they meant to say high (as in blade height). The knuckle head at the table with interpret it which ever way causes you the most grief.

Jim

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Some Leatherman tools lock the tool open, many of the smaller ones do not. The Leatherman Micra and Squirt I have don't lock the blade open, and I don't believe that the Style locks open either. Anything larger than those 3 is not permitted due to length anyway.

After looking at it, I think it wouldn't take much design modification for Spyderco to turn the Cricket into a compliant slip joint.

Douk-Douk

....with a little grinding!

I'm sure that in almost no time Spyderco, CRKT, Buck, etc., will be offering a variety of "TSA-approved" pocket knives

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I saw today on FB that Ernie Emerson is working on one already.

After all of the very outspoken protests from pilots, flight attendants, and air marshals, plus the white house website petition they have going - do you think the TSA might reverse this decision?

OregonJohnny said:

Do you think the TSA might reverse this decision?

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Not until someone uses a "TSA Approved" knife in an undesirable manner.

What can be done with a box cutter that can't be done with a 2.36" bladed folder? Morons.

Its like banning only Glocks because someone committed a murder with a Glock - but a Ruger SR9 is still ok, because it isn't a Glock.

Let's ban Fords because they're the most often used cars in vehicular homicides. Ban Nikes because burglars wear them more than any other shoes.

Just as shoes, cars, and guns aren't the problems with crime in our society, neither are knives. That fact that they're allowing only certain knives is even more stupid than would be continuing to enforce the "No Knives" rule they've had for so long. All this is going to do is give them a reason to blame inanimate objects again down the road. Its only a matter of time before someone stabs someone else on a plane with a TSA Approved knife. Not because knives are the problem, but because its human nature.

Until they accept that simple fact, we're just going around in circles.

I'm glad i can at least bring my little leatherman style cs on the plane. That is about the only knife i carry because i keep it on my keychain. It is a handy knife that will do all i need to do as far as tasks that need a knife blade or scissors.