The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has brought a “Pistole” to the fight for knives allowed on planes, and according to Congress, they are losing.
Under the new rule, TSA Administrator John Pistole said TSA agents will allow knives on airplanes as soon as April 2, 2013, but blades must be 2.36-inches long or shorter and half-inch wide.
“You need to stop this now,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) while pointing to a board with three knifes taped to it. “These cause bleeding. These cause injury. These can cause a terrible tragedy. And I don’t want to take it to the next length. It can possibly cause someone to lose their life,” said Lee.
Pistole believes the decision to be a “solid” one, pointing out that the presence of a knife on an aircraft is incomparable to TSA’s number one priority, which is finding and eliminating explosive devices.
“A small pocket knife is simply not going to result in the catastrophic failure of an aircraft and an improvised explosive device will,” said Pistole. “And we know, from internal covert testing, searching for these items, which will not blow up an aircraft, can distract our officers from focusing on the components of an improvised explosive device.”
“I’m on the fence” said James Hopkins, an information systems student at DePaul. “On the one hand, the security is in place to prevent the plane from being taken over, but we live in a post 9/11 world; fear shouldn’t be there, but it is.”
Pushback from lawmakers include Representatives Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) who are currently trying to pass a bill through the House, Senate and President that would reinstate the ban on knives, as well as hockey sticks, toy bats, ski poles, lacrosse sticks and pool cues in carry-on luggage.
Airlines such as Delta, American and US Airways have voiced statements of strong opposition against the new blade rule, but items such as box cutters, ice axes/picks, meat cleavers, razor type blades, sabers, scissors, swords and small blades with molded handles or locked blades will still be prohibited among and can be found on the “Sharp Objects” list included on the official TSA website.
It seems as though the issue lies with creating efficiency within an organization that is itself inefficient.
Overtly ignoring a passengers right to safety because it will speed up an already mistake riddled process is inefficient. Having someone constantly roll their eyes, badger and berate you is inefficient. Discarding bottles of unopened shampoo, baby formula and tossing Chap Stick and deodorant sticks out is inefficient. Finding up to 2,000 small knives a day and complaining that it takes up to two to three minutes out of an already flawed process is inefficient, as stated by Pistole. But please, this is not the mistake to change.
