airport confiscated knives

Joined
Oct 2, 2005
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142
Is it just me or does it seem wrong to by these knives on ebay.I know better not to take a knife through airport security, but it still seems wrong. what do you guys think bigfish
 
I have bought numerous of the confiscated knives off ebay.

Better that than them get destroyed somehow. The owners have already given them up already..

Why let them go to waste? I see nothing wrong with it at all.

(and this thread will probably get moved to a different forum)
 
At first I didn't like the idea, but someone pointed it out here several months ago that if it were your knife, would you rather it be destroyed or maybe fall into the hands of a fellow knife nut who will care for it the way you did?

People shouldn't take their knives to the airport, but we forget. I don't even think about picking a knife up, it's not a conscious decision. So it doesn't surprise me that people end up forgetting that they have a knife on them.

One question I have though, does security give you the option of mailing the knife home? Or do they just take it?
 
I don't knowingly buy them (I imagine they don't always disclose it, although many do).

A lot of the auctions say the knives were given up "voluntarily." What a load of BS. Nobody would give the NTSA a gift. People gave them up because they didn't have time or were not aware they could request anything other than letting the nazi in the uniform take it. How can you blame them for not being persistant when there is a history of secret and arbitrary regulations?

If it were my knife? It's just a knife, but theft by the government is an offensive (and I mean offensive in the real sense, a physical violation against someone, not that emotional BS) crime. I would rather see a $300 Sebenza destroyed than let the government make money by stealing it and selling it.

If a burglar breaks into your house and steels your TV, do you feel any comfort knowing some movie buff out there is going to get a good deal on it?
 
CNN/HN had a piece on some time ago about a city where confiscated guns are melted down and turned into manhole covers.

Would you rather see confiscated knives melted down into manhole covers? :(

I don't have any real opinion on this; but I took a quick look at "confiscated knives" on eBay and saw only junk...

Maybe you should ask "Where are all the real knives going"??? :grumpy:
 
My father went to fly,had a Buck I gave him in 1977 in his pocket. When he pulled the contents of his pockets, out came the knife. He asked to see the head of security, then explained he needed an envelope, put his name on it, they held it,and Dad picked it up at security office on return trip.My Dad said he would have missed the flight before surrendering that knife. Of course, my Dad being in law enforcement assured a smooth transition.
Personally, I have no problem buying anything that was seized, and I would prefer the authorities selling seizures over destroying them.
 
So manhole covers would make excellent billet? ct,thanks for that link a while back! :D
 
I beleive that most airport security has evolved to having mailing envelopes available. Didn't have back when this all started. It was just unfortunate for those that decided to give up a nice knife instead of opt to miss a flight. Would have definitely been a tough decision.
But it happened, and the knives showed up for sale, and someone is going to buy them, so it may as well be us collectors.

I bought 6 or 7 110's, about that many 112's, a brand new 373, a double hand full of 300 series, a 450, a small swiss buck, a 704, a few 500 series, a 422 and others that I can't recall right now.

I even went public here in the Buck forum back in the very early spring, that if anyone had lost one in an airport out of Nevada area, describe it and If I had it, I would get it back to them.

So at least the ones I have were saved from being destroyed. And several were no dot, 2 dot, and some 3 dots. A 112 out of that bunch is even micarta with an inverted 2 line tang stamp.

Yes, it is sad that someone had to give them up. But glad these wern't destroyed.
 
chickentrax said:
I don't have any real opinion on this; but I took a quick look at "confiscated knives" on eBay and saw only junk...
:grumpy:

Chickentrax,,, I already bought up all the real ones! :D :D

Word got out 9 or 10 months ago and I too haven't seen that many good ones showing up anymore.
 
Scott Hartman said:
My father went to fly,had a Buck I gave him in 1977 in his pocket. When he pulled the contents of his pockets, out came the knife. He asked to see the head of security, then explained he needed an envelope, put his name on it, they held it,and Dad picked it up at security office on return trip.My Dad said he would have missed the flight before surrendering that knife. Of course, my Dad being in law enforcement assured a smooth transition.
Personally, I have no problem buying anything that was seized, and I would prefer the authorities selling seizures over destroying them.

Scott,
You confirmed what was my understanding. I recall seeing notices in the airport the last time I flew that reminded passengers to check their pockets and carry-ons for unauthorized items so that they could get an envelope and mail it to themselves rather then have it confiscated. There is an option, so I have a difficult time understanding how someone could get to the point where they had no alternative unless they just totally spaced it. :(
 
The envelopes and notices haven't been there all that long. That happened fairly recently compared to the amount of time they have been confiscating items.
 
LFH said:
The envelopes and notices haven't been there all that long. That happened fairly recently compared to the amount of time they have been confiscating items.

LFH,
I'll have to take your word on that. I don't fly that often. All I can say is....better late than never! :eek: Shame on the governement for thinking they could simply confiscate the property, particularly when (at least for me) the exact things that were not allowed was confusing there for a time.
Mike
 
Mike Kerins said:
Shame on the governement for thinking they could simply confiscate the property, particularly when (at least for me) the exact things that were not allowed was confusing there for a time.

It used to be they wouldn't tell you until you were there with a knife and they judged it on a case by case basis. Everyone had it figured out that serrated edges were, for no apparent reason, banned (most of the time). Any more detail was even less consistent. Blade length, locking or not, and one vs. two hand operation could pass or fail, seemingly based only on what that particular thug felt like allowing that day.
 
I carried a small SAK on my keychain, and flew with it several times before someone picked up on it. I had forgotten it was there...:o
I gave it up rather than miss my flight, it was a company logo'd one, and replaceable. They did offer me to go back to the parking lot and put it in the car (15 min to flight time not an option) or go back and mail it to myself (see previous)...
 
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