Confiscated by TSA. Ever happen to you?

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It sucks but it's not exactly a surprise. I agree the no knife rule is preposterous but it has been in place for years. Should have mailed it or checked the bag.

When traveling, I tend to buy a cheap knife when I get to town, carry it while there and then willingly and freely give it as a gift to a cabbie or TSA guy or something before heading through security. Hope you have/had a great Christmas anyway.

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Beckerhead #42
 
vanslem6 said:
A pocket knife is not a weapon, and there's no way to access something from a checked bag while in flight. Remember when people used to check firearms at the airport? … I honestly think the TSA was designed to piss people off and annoy to the point where people just throw in the towel and accept having zero rights.
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Well, you can still carry a knife or a gun in your checked baggage. It only takes a few minutes to look up the TSA and airline websites on the Internet and read the rules of what you can and cannot take in a carry on bag.

The wife and I flew to visit relatives this summer. I used to fly pretty often but I changed jobs in the early 90s and the last time I had flown was in 1998. Fully aware that things had changed, I researched what I could carry onto the plane and what was prohibited. I wrapped a Delica and a Dragonfly in a bandana and put it in the pocket of my rain parka, rolled the parka into a tight ball and put it in the carry on with the clothing, shoes and all the prohibited amounts of liquids. At the airports, I put everything in my pockets into the carry on bag to go through security. My experience was completely painless and without incident.

If the state where we were flying had reciprocity with my concealed carry license, I would have declared a handgun and ammunition and carried it in the checked bag in the manner dictated by TSA and the airline involved. Since I had no reciprocity, the guns stayed home.

It's a bummer to lose your Christmas present. But if you want to fly these days, you gotta follow the rules no matter how much you don't like them. In my opinion, airline tickets cost too much for uncomfortable seats on crowded planes, bureaucratic regulations and some airline personnel's attitude. These days I will avoid flying for those reasons but I will follow the rules when I do fly.
 
RevDevil said:
Every since 9/11 it's not a secret that many items are on the "not allowed" list for carry on luggage. It's been all over the news over the last 10 years or so (crazy things that people try to take on a flight, including guns, ice picks, knitting needles, etc.) knives is possibly in the top 2. Gift wrapping or not, it's still a knife (seen as a weapon) and could be used despite the wrapping. As mentioned, luckily no one was arrested.
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A thousand times this. It bugs me somewhat that if the TSA did allow knives on, and there was an incident or attack, there'd be a HUGE uproar about safety with the public screaming "how could we let ourselves get attacked again!" "whose fault is this?!""what's our country coming to with these terrible security standards thanks Obama!".

It would possibly even affect carry laws even further, putting our beloved hobby at risk. So if they say no knives in carry on, that's a simple enough rule to stick by.

I'm not digging at OP here by the way, just giving my $0.02. Glad you're not being held/charged and are home for Xmas
 
Is there some sign warning you that your item will be forfeited permanently?. I don't air travel very much, so I haven't seen the signs. I perfectly understand their right to confiscate the item as contraband in an airport, but what legal right do they have to keep the item? After all, the item is not illegal in and of itself, just not allowed to be at that particular place. For example, if you go to a theme park (or any other privately owned place), and they see your knife, they may say "you are not allowed to bring that in here", but they may not say "and by the way, we are keeping your property". I may just be me, but I was unaware that the government could take your property without any legal course of action to get it back, where's the due process in this scenario?
 
vanslem6 said:
A pocket knife is not a weapon, and there's no way to access something from a checked bag while in flight. Remember when people used to check firearms at the airport?

At some places now, they will break into your car, search it and take anything they deem necessary while you are away. They'll even leave you a little note saying they've done so… I honestly think the TSA was designed to piss people off and annoy to the point where people just throw in the towel and accept having zero rights.
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Reread the story. It was in his carry on bag. And you still can check firearms at the airport provided it is within TSA guidelines.

Just like with everything in the world, know the rules or laws. No matter where you go or what you do it is on you to know the rules. We see it everyday on this very forum: people agree to the rules with out reading them.

It is no secret what you can and can't bring on a plane. Find out what the rules are and if you disagree don't use the service.
 
The TSA should respect the people for the law they enforce by placing any items confiscated onto the flight in belly of the plane and return said items to the passenger at the baggage pickup at arrivals.
 
^ Agreed.

At the very least, you should be able to put your item in locker or something, to be returned when you leave the airport (return trip). They could even charge a fee for this service, and if its something that you don't care that much about, just decline the service, and they can do with it as they please. I understand that its not their problem that you broke the rules, but I still don't think that gives them the right to deprive you of your property permanently.
 
Watch TSA's sales on e-Bay and check their "lot of knives" sales. You might be able to buy back that knife (along with the 20 others in the same lot) for cheap!

This is America. When the government steals from you don't get mad... get out your checkbook and buy it back. It isn't really gone if you can buy it back, right?
 
I just flew to San Francisco for Thanksgiving....At LAX and SFO there are signs everywhere telling travelers what is banned in carry on. Making excuses and blaming the TSA is freakin funny. The TSA did their job correctly. The knife was not stolen, it was confiscated because of the ignorance of the passenger.
 
Demon613 said:
Watch TSA's sales on e-Bay and check their "lot of knives" sales. You might be able to buy back that knife (along with the 20 others in the same lot) for cheap!

This is America. When the government steals from you don't get mad... get out your checkbook and buy it back. It isn't really gone if you can buy it back, right?
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That wouldn't be so bad, call it a being stupid tax, but they should make it guaranteed that you can get your actual knife (or whatever) back. Its very simple, as a representative of the government, when you take something from someone, you give them a property receipt. This shows exactly what was taken, when, where, why, and by whom. You get a copy and they get a copy. That way there is exact accountability, and you can get your property back at some point. Even if there is some kind of fee involved, it would still be worth it for some items.

This may be how it is done currently, I don't know, its never happened to me, or someone I know.
 
My experiences with TSA have convinced me that flying is for those that do not valuable their freedom ---- OR their life.

They [ TSA ] have missed the 9/11 terrorists [ YES it is the same people,with "much better training" - lol ] the underwear bomber,and ALL the other attackers that got caught by LUCK.

I witnessed a TSA putz approach a bag left in the airport [ I reported it ] and he approached it and used his RADIO to call in for assistance ---- TWENTY MINUTES LATER,another 2 were walking up to assist him when the bag owner returned .

NO questions and NO problem = W T F ??.

So far I have been lucky enough to be able to drive where I want to go,Lucky me.

And we all know that no one will hijack another plane with an edged weapon,no matter the size of it.

The passengers will rip him [ or them ] apart.
 
Dont know how your airport is, could you have just said screw it and gave it to someone nearby thats not flying and gave it them and "said merry xmas". Better than handing it over to the TSA
 
jstrange said:
That wouldn't be so bad, call it a being stupid tax, but they should make it guaranteed that you can get your actual knife (or whatever) back. Its very simple, as a representative of the government, when you take something from someone, you give them a property receipt. This shows exactly what was taken, when, where, why, and by whom. You get a copy and they get a copy. That way there is exact accountability, and you can get your property back at some point. Even if there is some kind of fee involved, it would still be worth it for some items.

This may be how it is done currently, I don't know, its never happened to me, or someone I know.
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I wouldn't be very happy waiting in line behind some fool trying to bring a locking folder as large as a ZT onboard an aircraft whining about his right to get the knife back. Tough luck and move along.

Should we really pay more money to "insure" the uneducated by hiring receipt and mail clerks at our airports?

And remember, it only took box cutters.

To take a jaundiced eye view - who is to say that he ever bought the knife at all? Maybe they are broke and came up with this story.

Lame no matter how you slice it.

Eric
 
mars5l said:
Dont know how your airport is, could you have just said screw it and gave it to someone nearby thats not flying and gave it them and "said merry xmas". Better than handing it over to the TSA
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Or he could have just turned around and went back and checked his bag.

I'm sorry, don't mean to be unsympathetic, but unless you've been living under a rock, it's known that you don't try to carry a knife onto a plane. He could have checked it, mailed it, or ordered it as a gift to be delivered to the address where he was gong. Lots of options there, just no common sense used.

Since 9-11 we've flown to lots of places while spending our kids inheritance, and never had a problem with a knife in checked baggage.
 
Whether the TSA are just doing the job they're supposed to, or one of them just wants a free knife, you simply will not win if you try to bring a knife in a carry-on. Not too long ago, when they were considering reinstating the right to carry small pocketknives onto planes again (think Victorinox Classic or other small, innocuous knives), the American public and flight attendants all protested. Nowadays, even a tiny, non-locking pen knife is a weapon in the public eye. So to try to bring any type of knife onto a plane, or into a courthouse, sporting venue, amusement park, etc., arguing that a pocketknife isn't a weapon isn't going to fly (pun intended).

Anyways, Merry Christmas to everyone!

Jim
 
I have one of those backpacks with a million interior pockets. Unbeknown to me, there was a small Sebenza in one of them when it went through x-ray. After I came to, the lady just said to check the bag. It seems this would be standard procedure.
 
snippy said:
I wouldn't be very happy waiting in line behind some fool trying to bring a locking folder as large as a ZT onboard an aircraft whining about his right to get the knife back. Tough luck and move along.

Should we really pay more money to "insure" the uneducated by hiring receipt and mail clerks at our airports?

And remember, it only took box cutters.

To take a jaundiced eye view - who is to say that he ever bought the knife at all? Maybe they are broke and came up with this story.

Lame no matter how you slice it.

Eric
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I understand where you are coming from, and for the most part, I agree with you. I just don't like them being able to take something without any kind of due process or checks and balances. I am a police officer by trade, and I don't get to take anything from anyone without providing a property receipt. Its just part of the job. If the item is not illegal, they have the chance to get it back at a later date.

I am not trying to defend the actions of irresponsible people, I just don't want the government to have the power to permanently deprive someone of a valuable piece of property without some type of over-site.

Also, I would say that if this process were to happen, the irresponsible party should not be allowed to inconvenience everyone else. They are removed to handle their problem and when they come back, they go to the back of the line.

I usually don't post this much, and I don't know why I feel strongly about this, but it irks me for some reason. Anyway, happy holidays all :)
 
I had a nail clipper with a 1 inch (dull. with round tip) nail file confiscated once.
 
Well, at least he wasn't pinched at the airport in NYC. They would probably have arrested him on the spot and he would have spent Christmas in Rikers. Every airport has different policies, but they all seem to agree that knives are never permitted in carry on luggage. Hard lesson learned.
 
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