Posted on 11/30/2005 8:35:28 AM PST by xjcsa
WASHINGTON - Airline passengers will be allowed to carry small scissors and tools onto planes, reversing a rule that led to confiscation of many thousands of sharp objects at airports since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a Homeland Security Department official said Wednesday.
Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley on Friday will announce changes to the list of items prohibited in carry-on luggage and to the airport screening process, according to the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the plan has yet to be announced.
With federal air marshals on planes, bulletproof cockpit doors, armed pilots and 100 percent screening of checked baggage, the threat of a terrorist taking over an airplane has lessened since the 2001 attacks, the official said. The biggest concern now is explosives.
Though the new list of prohibited items hasn't been finalized, certain sharp objects won't be on it, the official said, including scissors less than 4 inches long and wrenches and screwdrivers less than 7 inches long.
Air Transport Association spokesman David Castelveter said the industry has been briefed on the plan and supports it.
"What we believe, as does the TSA, is that we should be focusing on what poses the greatest risk," Castelveter said.
Glory Hallelujah! Common sense prevails - at last!
I pity any terrorist (not really) who tries to take over a plane with a pair of toenail clippers these days.
I like to carry a leatherman tool. I used to have it in my carry-on all the time. i don't think it would get through even with these new regs.
What the article doesn't mention is the overwhelming buildup of evidence that the passengers will kick the crap out of anyone attempting a takeover. I still contend that "dual use" items such as small knives, scissors, and tools should be REQUIRED prior to boarding and if you don't have any, they should issue you duct tape or cable ties.
Good, now we can play Rock-Paper-Scissors fer real........uh, are rocks still allowed?.......
Good questions.
AAAAAHH! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
They've always allowed tools....It seems like there's always one sitting next to me.
This is good, they need to be looking for terrorists, not scrutinizing every little object brought on board. Heck, I could kill you with my metal-barrel pen, but I can't bring nail clippers on board. How much sense does that make? You'll never be able to screen out all potential weapons because there are tons of everyday objects that could be used as weapons. The Sept. 11th attackers were already on terror watch-lists but they were allowed to board because of stupid bureacratic policies.
Oh gee
Massa gon' let us po' servants carry scissors on his airplanes.
Jackass government thugs. I'll believe these people are serious when they start strip searching mohammedans and leaving 80 year old grandmas in wheel chairs the hell alone.
Quick! What does TSA stand for?
Not very likely. Until I can take my folding knife and leatherman onboard I am still not convinced.
I just had this same converstation with another on this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1531117/posts
medical reasons
For a lot of people yes. Some of us prefer to cross stitch, or do needlepoint on flights. The guy next to you never reads cross stitch over your shoulder.
Wow now I can use my Erector set when I fly. Good thing those wrenches are gonna be allowed.
Also, I take flights frequently that are just overnighters, so I just have a carry-on bag so that I can avoid baggage claim hassles and delays. For those kinds of flights, it's a pain to strip my baggage clean of anything that may be contraband (utility tool, nail clippers, etc.).
Ballpoint pens are more dangerous than those scissors.
Yep, ole Richard Reid looked pretty beat-up after his shoe-bomb incident. He was sporting a nice shiner. I'm betting 3/4 of the passengers were wishing they could've taken a swing at him for good measure.
H3ll, until I can carry my .45 I won't be convinced;>) But this is incremental improvement - we got held up in LAX last year because of my wife's 3 inch long nail scissors. I trust that she will be able to carry them onboard now.
I tell you what, my wife just flew back in April and she had her Leatherman tool in her purse and the TSA didn't say anything about it.
In flt. Circumcisions?
Good to know. I haven't flown since 3 weeks before 9/11 (exciting life, eh?) but hope to in the near future, and feel naked without my leatherman in my pocket. Never the right tool for any job, but it sure has gotten me out of a lot of pinches.
make a move on the cockpit...and just try me.
;)
Yea, and I can again carry my chainsaw!
I argued with a good friend of mine who works for United about little things like swiss army knives and the tool you have and airline security. He was in maintenance at the Indy hub, he told me that a lot of stuff runs next to the bathrooms in the plane, a screw driver and a pair of nail clippers (wire cutters) could play havoc if someone had knowledge of the plane design. I never thought of that until he mentioned it.
Next let's move up to pocket knives. Then I will petition the government to get my Swiss Army knife back.
LOL.......oh that was good. Thought I was the only one who always got wedged between two big, fat, sweaty guys or (on FAR too many occasions) right next to the plane drunk.
Good point.
hal-a-flippin-luya one more that gets it.
I'm with you on the 45. 7734 upside down and backwards, why stop at a 45. Just kidding.
Lol, I love the calculator-speak.
MP5SD in 10mm? Naw, this situation demands point shooting, rather than spray and pray. ;>)
It isn't an issue of having them in-flight. It's an issue of not getting them back after they've been confiscated.
I keep a small screwdriver, swiss army knife and scissors (not to mention a nail clipper with file) in my briefcase for general use. They come in handy time and time again. Even if I don't use them on the flight it's a royal pain to have to remove them if I am going to fly and then be without them when I arrive.
PS, I would prefer the old lady next to me have a pair of sharp scissors that could be used if anyone tried to take over the plane than to be defenseless against whatever weapon a terrorist managed to smuggle on-board.
ZIPPO
yeah...
I was used to carrying it all the time when I was in Iraq, so when I went to the terminal in Qatar, they pinged me on it. Tnankfully they let me put back in my bags before they got processed.
I went to a military college, (as a civilian, but veteran, student) where everyne carried the issued gerbers. By the end of their sophomore years, they all had holes worn in their uni's from those behemoths.
yeah I like the relative compactness that my Leatherman has....
You can't do needlepoint, cross stitch, knitting or crocheting in flight without scissors.
yeh. last time they slit throats on a flight folks were more politically correct.
"...OK, what do you need tools for in flight?..."
I haven't checked luggage underneath the plane in at least twenty years, except for when I go skiing and bring my equipment. My rollaway and small tote are the only bags I carry aboard. I would appreciate being able to cart my pocketknife and little flashlight so they're with me at my destination...and I can be on my way.
The simple fact-of-the-matter is that a modern commercial jetliner will never be hijacked again. Pocketknives should be the least of concerns with regard to airline security.
~ Blue Jays ~
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