TSA Restrictions Eased Announcement

Dude, scissors? Now I won't feel comfortable flying... scissors can be sharp. :(
Allowing scissors is just asking for a terrorist attack.
The only we should allow scissors is those plastic ones, with the only metal on the inside edges. Only we should remove the metal bits.
:
 
I saw a poll on tv saying 77% of the public was against allowing these things on the planes. I guess I was born too long ago, why are people so frightened and why do they look to someone else to provide their security?
I remember when I used to fly with my Buck 110 on my belt and no one looked twice.
I just don't see where taking over a plane is going to happen. The passengers won't allow it. What's wrong with allowing everyone to have something they could use in case of need. Whether the need was cleaning one's fingernails or providing for the common defense.
Sorry for the rant, just frustrated.
Bob
 
No Strider? But what if I can carry on a thin slab of metal and a Sharpmaker, then sequester myself in the bathroom and sharpen down that sucker to a full fledge knife.

Ahhh fudge...it'd probably take to whole flight to sharpen it down.
 
knifenerd said:
The way I heard it, knives are still banned. Don't plan on carrying that Strider SMF anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Heck, that little Victorinox Swiss Army Classic on your keychain is still banned. And good thing, too, we all know what terrifying weapons of mass destruction they are!! :rolleyes:

Whanna see what we're up against? This congresscritter spoke out against the move:
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, said the TSA "should not make it easier for future Mohamed Attas to arm themselves with razor-sharp objects and bring down a passenger plane."

"Flight attendants and passengers should not be put in a situation where ... a sharp scissors can be taken apart and used as a weapon at the throat of flight attendants and passengers," Markey said.
Click to expand...
:jerkit:
 
rdg said:
I remember when I used to fly with my Buck 110 on my belt and no one looked twice.
Click to expand...

LOL. I remember going through security at LAX in 1981 to catch a connecting flight and seeing the lady ahead of me in line getting chewed out for having a 110 in her purse. I had three in my carry on as Christmas presents and my bag sailed right through the X-ray machine.

Gordon
 
rdg said:
I saw a poll on tv saying 77% of the public was against allowing these things on the planes. I guess I was born too long ago, why are people so frightened and why do they look to someone else to provide their security?
I remember when I used to fly with my Buck 110 on my belt and no one looked twice.
Click to expand...

I'd bet that it would actually be cheaper to give those 77% a pacifier, a bottle of warm milk and a security blanket for their false sense of security.
 
Grapevine said:
No Strider? But what if I can carry on a thin slab of metal and a Sharpmaker, then sequester myself in the bathroom and sharpen down that sucker to a full fledge knife.

Ahhh fudge...it'd probably take to whole flight to sharpen it down.
Click to expand...

Save that diabolical plan for a New York to Tokyo flight. You could set up a cutlery store in the lavatory.
 
Sadly, the current regulations still specifically prohibit tools with "cutting edges". :grumpy:

--Bob Q
 
TSA Press Office said:
...Beginning December 22, scissors with a cutting edge of four inches or less and tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers smaller than seven inches will be permitted on board. Scissors longer than four inches and tools such as crowbars, drills, hammers, and saws will continue to be prohibited from carry-on bags. Lighters will continue to be banned from the cabin of aircraft and in checked baggage...
Click to expand...
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said:
..."Flight attendants and passengers should not be put in a situation where a scissors, a sharp scissors can be taken apart and used as a weapon at the throat of flight attendants and passengers at any time," Markey said...:jerkit:
Click to expand...
MIKE BOYD said:
...Well, you get on an airplane. There are a lot of pointy objects. Forks are now again metal. Your Bic pen can be used as a pointy object. I mean, Congressman Markey before 9/11, even though he was made aware of Logan's bad security never said anything. So, I don't put a lot of credibility in what this guys says.

The point is, we need security that anticipate threats, not goes after just some pointy objects, because there's a lot of those things already on an airplane today, anybody can use those kind of things if they want to make mayhem. And in the last four years, if we have an al-Qaida cell that was made up of angry hair dressers, we might have been safer. But that's not the case....

The fact is, on 9/11, the chances are that those box cutters and probably guns, too, got on those airplanes before the terrorists got on. That kind of a hole, the TSA doesn't even consider now...the psychopath get on an airplane right now, and he can take a Bic pen and use it as a weapon. He can take his American Express Gold Card and shave it properly and slit somebody's throat. He can take the fork the flight attendant gives him, which is metal, and use that as a weapon. He can go to the lavatory and rip some parts off the doors and whatnot and make a weapon.

So, taking grandma's nail clippers away doesn't make us any safer...:D
Click to expand...
TSA said:
...says scissors and small tools pose a minimal risk because cockpit doors are now bullet proof and locked. Air marshals and pilots carry guns and passenger luggage is X-rayed...
Click to expand...
I for one do not see any reason for some of the excess security measures instituted. I think much of it has been propaganda and display drama to provide frightened Americans with a false sense of security. Somone carrying a SAK or Leatherman onto the plane is not the real issue and the ban on such items is purely for show without any substance.

Let us not forget the individuals that have been in charge of our security in the past are the same individuals strip searching attractive ethnic women preferentially over anyone else! Are we surprised they are now focused on scissors, screw drivers, and SAK type items?

I think the public should be more afraid of the things they don't see then the guy with a sheathed leatherman on his belt.
 
I emailed TSA last week, asking for the new list of allowed and prohibited items, and received this lengthy and tangential response:

"Thank you for your e-mail about recent changes to the list of items that passengers are prohibited from taking with them aboard commercial aircraft. As part of our continuing effort to review TSA practices in light of changing threats and the array of security measures now in place, we have reassessed the list of prohibited items, and beginning December 22, scissors and certain small tools will be permitted.

TSA has great respect for the families impacted by 9/11 and airline crew members. We count them among our most important stakeholders and partners in aviation security, and they were consulted extensively as we assessed the current risk environment and analyzed our screening data.

That threat assessment included consideration of the fact that TSA, airlines, and airports have implemented multiple layers of security since 9/11 to reduce the risk that terrorists could hijack and take control of an aircraft. These measures include:

" Hardened cockpit doors;
" A greatly expanded Federal Air Marshal force;
" The Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which permits armed pilots who have been trained to support the security regime from the cockpit;
" Additional security training for flight attendants;
" A continually improving terrorist watch list that prevents likely terrorists from entering the aviation system as a passenger or employee; and
" Significantly improved screening of passengers and baggage.

Although we understand that some crew members and passengers would prefer a cabin environment in which no potential weapons exist, it is clear that goal is impossible to achieve - pens, keys, and even bare hands can be used as weapons. The list of items that are now permitted on planes that can be turned into weapons is almost limitless. TSA's judgment is that removing from the prohibited list the small scissors and tools we identified does not measurably add to the vulnerability of our aviation system, yet TSA security officers now spend a great deal of attention identifying, searching for, and removing these items.

The fact is that explosives are a much more significant threat to aviation security, and the combination of changes we announced will address that threat. By adding random additional screening measures to make our screening protocols less predictable, we will make it increasingly difficult for terrorists to plan an attack. In addition to the metal detection equipment we now utilize, our deployment of new technology at screening checkpoints to detect the presence of explosive materials will significantly enhance aviation security.

Changes in our explosives detection capability, the prohibited items list, and TSA screening protocols are all important to maintaining the effectiveness of our security system. We recognize that TSA must adapt to changes in terrorists' tactics, deploy resources effectively based on risk, and use unpredictability as a means to disrupt terrorist plans. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to protect the freedoms, privacy, prosperity and mobility that Americans hold dear.

We hope this information is helpful, and thank you again for contacting us.

We encourage you to continue following the agency as we move ahead. As changes and enhancements to aviation security are implemented, TSA publicizes Travel Tips in local and national media, as well as on our website, www.tsa.gov, to help travelers prepare for air travel and comply with security screening procedures. We continue to add new information and update the website regularly. Additionally, TSA Contact Center (TCC) representatives are available to answer passengers' questions. The TCC can be contacted toll-free at (866) 289-9673 or by e-mail at TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov. TCC representatives are available 7 days a week, including holidays."

TSA Contact Center
_______________________________________________________________

What probable evidence do you have that SAKs are either prohibited or allowed after the new rules take ahold?

Best,

oregon
 
There's a discussion on this topic on another forum, someone from a flight attendants association was quoted as saying "the aisle will be running with blood" in response to hearing about the TSA annoucement. Here's my reply:

On a certain level I can sympathize with some of these flight attendants given what happened on 9/11. However, it almost seems as if they are using that as an excuse here. "Aisles running with blood" because of small scissors? Give me a break. These people ought to start being nicer to passengers and smile once in a while rather than worry about a pair of scissors. These days rude flight attendants are far more of a threat to passengers than tired, hungry, cramped and late passengers are to flight attendants! My one question for all of these flight attendants concerned about this is: How many flight attendants were injured annually in the years prior to 9/11 by knives, scissors, nail files or any other sharp pointy objects? Well, how many? In 1997 there were 297, and 1998 there were 246 reported incidents of "skyrage".

http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/1999/apr/apr_rage.pdf

These numbers seem to include assaults with and without weapons. Lets' put this in perspective using the very FAA numbers on this chart. In 1998 that's 246 assaults for 659.7 MILLION passengers. Hardly a blood bath.

I don't know, I do know though that carrying small knives and leatherman type tools prior to 9/11 was a non-issue. No media reports, no protesting airline workers, and certainly no "aisles running with blood"!
 
oregon said:
...What probable evidence do you have that SAKs are either prohibited or allowed after the new rules take ahold?...
Click to expand...
Just spoke with the TSA information center as of 17:50 Eastern time by way of the phone number you posted. The answer I received was:
TSA agent said:
...pocket knives would still have to be checked as of december 22. The only thing that will change is that you could carry scissors with blades less then 4 inches and small tools such as screwdrivers...
Click to expand...
I proceeded to be very specific and asked, "so, I would not be allowed to carry my leatherman multi-tool?" She repeated the following:
TSA agent said:
...That is correct. As of december 22, The only thing that will change is that you could carry scissors with blades less then 4 inches and small tools such as screwdrivers...
Click to expand...
I will take that as "probable evidence".:eek: If further evidence is required, I encourage you to call the number YOU have provided...they are polite.
 
Is there some reason why we can't just adopt the air security policies of the Israelis? They're used to facing REAL threats and they have GREAT security. I know it may be seen in this country as profiling, but their use of specially trained people with a security/psych background has undoubtedly worked! Anyone???

-Oh, and I saw that loser on TV. Makes me embarrassed to be living in MA!

-Anthony
 
schluterc said:
...I don't know, I do know though that carrying small knives and leatherman type tools prior to 9/11 was a non-issue. No media reports, no protesting airline workers, and certainly no "aisles running with blood"!
Click to expand...
The reality is that once your rights are surrendered and/or taken it is very hard to regain what has been lost. That is why it is so important to not allow tragedy and terror to cloud judgement and enable massive confiscation of freedoms. In returning rights, few will look at the times preceding the the tragedy. The trip through memory lane will stop on the date of the tragedy and continue to be used to support the loss of rights.

This is probably human nature. When someone has a loved one shot, it is common for that individual to dislike and/or hate guns and fight for limits on gun rights. When someone is attacked by a minority, it is common for individuals to continue to fear the minority group as a whole and often alter their lives to limit or restrict contact with said minority group. Good legislation is very difficult to produce in the midst of horrific tragedy. It is better produced with a cool head.
 
Big surprise that flight attendants are idiots, eh? With all the intellectual qualifications for that job, you would expect them to be able to understand the logical points of freedom and crime.
 
ThreadMoving.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top