Some 9/11 families angry over loosened TSA rules on knives

Knives allowed on flights from April 25, 2013. / Transportation Security Administration

NEW YORK Some family members of Sept. 11 attack victims are speaking out against new airport security rules that permit small knives on planes.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday that people will be allowed to carry folding knives with blades 2.36 inches or less onto planes.

The new rules, to go into effect next month, also permit souvenir baseball hats, golf clubs and other previously banned sports equipment.

• Flight attendant rep sounds alarm on relaxed TSA relaxes knife rule
• Knives to be allowed on flights, change dubbed 'shortsighted'

Debra Burlingame's brother Charles Burlingame, the pilot of Americans Airlines Flight 77, was killed when his plane was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon. She told CBS News that the TSA's plan is dangerous.

Looking at the list of allowed knives, Burlingame said, "Do you really think a terrorist can't make deadly use of these permitted items?"

Burlingame called attention to a written statement from the alleged planner of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, that said the hijackers trained with Swiss Army knives "to prepare them for using their knives during the hijackings."

Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son at the World Trade Center, told The Associated Press she's "flabbergasted" by the new rules.

Flight attendants also expressed alarm over the relaxed regulations. Stacy Martin, president of the Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Union, told CBS "This Morning" that he doesn't think it's worth the risk.

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TSA to allow small knives on planes

"When you look back before 9/11, all it took was box cutters coming through," Martin said. "At this point you have knives, small knives, it's all the same to us ... They're allowing these items to come through and they're putting the responsibility of the cabin completely on us even though they know coming through security are these items "

Mark Rosenker, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a CBS News consultant, told CBS New correspondent Bob Orr security officers have to stay focused on the real dangers.

"This really is a good decision," he said. "We've seen underwear that can blow up. We've seen people that have shoes they've attempted to blow up. We've seen people with chemicals that could potentially blow up. And they really need to be looking at the kinds of threats that are significantly more lethal than a two-and-a-half-inch blade."

[BloggerBob]

Hi. Bob here from the TSA Blog. For more information on the changes to the prohibited items list, please check out the latest posts on our blog.

http://blog.tsa.gov/2013/03/small-pocket-knives-more-support-than.html
http://blog.tsa.gov/2013/03/tsa-prohibited-items-list-changing_5.html

Thanks,

Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team
blog.tsa.gov

[courtobserver]

I suspect many who object to this new policy were the same people who objected to many restrictions when they were first adopted. It's 'change' that they object to.
When you are in a store, and elevator, or on the street corner, you may be standing next to someone with a pocket knife. Do you have a constant fear of being attacked by the person standing next to you?
A small knife is no longer a threat to the hijacking or downing a of jet liner. End of story.
I remember once having my cigarette lighter confiscated by TSA. Once through security, I simply bought a new lighter in one of the shops beyond the security check and carried it on the aircraft.
We need rules that make sense and if changing some of them makes sense, I'm all for it.

[dferriman]

So a few Americans are upset that after millions of Americans lost their rights, we may be slowly getting some of them back? What crap. Yes, 911 was bad, but don't victimize the whole country. I'm not a bad guy, why am I treated like a prisoner because I want to take a plane? I carry a pocket knife every day - it is a tool. Yet I can't have it on a plane because of the one attack on US soil by terrorists in decades. Sorry, that's not how the founders wanted it, and it's not how it should be.

[fisher1949]

A lot more families are angry because TSA gropes their children and takes naked scans of them.

Every frequent flier knows that TSA has not made us any safer than we were after the hardened the cockpit door.

No one is going to take a plane down using a 2" knife or a golf club.

Its sad what many Americans are willing to tolerate from Government just because some political appointee says.

Maybe next some appointee will decide that they can kill Americans with drones while they at home in bed. Oh, nevermind, they already did.

[maiingan]

MacGyver used a Swiss Army Knife, not a box cutter. Folks, if terrorists could hijack a plane with "a tiny pocket knife," then BY THE SAME TOKEN, the now-wise passengers could fight back and overpower him with their tiny pocket knives. People concerned about getting the blade folded up on their skin can wear gloves, still legal. If there are gloves heavy enough for people to let eagles perch on, gloves made of this same heavy leather will also keep your SAK from slicing you up.

[webgone]

Why are we so stupid ?
This is not about this or that to take on board, it is about keeping rules in place, not change them all the time.
Why would ever loss of memory or distance in time improve security ?
Next incident, and they change rules again, stupid.
Nothing happen for a while, they change rules again, stupid.

[1Citizen]

It's about time the TSA takes more reasonable steps to align their rules with reality, and American culture. At least this is a step in the right direction, although more reforms need to be made.

[FP1970]

This relaxing of the rules sounds like a big mistake but the supreme mistake is rarely discussed because it's politically incorrect to do so.
We obviously didn't learn anything from 09/11 if we continue to allow immigration from violent terrorist-producing failed parts of the world, filled with people who hate us. We allow them in to make it easy for them. Isn't that great?

[Salero21]

This is outrageous and very irresponsible! The blade of box cutters is even smaller but that was all the hijackers needed on 9-11 to kill and hold many passengers at bay. A 2 inch blade in the hands of several trained assassins or terrorists can cause a lot of injuries and kill the staff inside airplanes. A group like that can actually cause a lot of damage including causing the plane to crash.

[mnguyen4]

Relax 21,
The concealed weapon permit law doesn't apply when it comes to flying in a commercial airplane.

[ranjix]

salero, you don't need small blades to be deadly ("in the hands of a trained terrorist"). Actually many airlines will give you bigger and more dangerous knives, with your food (metal, longer/wider blade). The forks can be pretty deadly too. Pens as well. Keys as well (ok, I exaggerate). You name it, any tool actually can be a weapon. Deadly or not, depends on the person. Also, something changed in the mentality of people in such situations - they understand now that if the "terrorists" take over the plane, is game over. This was not true before sept11. With such conviction, pretty sure that no-one will allow the "terrorists" to take over.
Also, there is one more point, which you won't like. The people and staff inside the airplane are not that important, only the cockpit is. What's important is that the plane doesn't become a weapon in itself, as it happened on sept11. And this problem was solved by making sure that the door to the pilot stays closed. Sorry.

[gbgentleman]

The difference between now and 9/11 is that passengers WILL fight back. someone armed with a pocket knife will not take over a jet. Yes he might injure or kill someone, but a smaill knife is not enough to stop the passengers from taking actions.

[Salero21]

The blade of box cutters is even smaller but that was all the hijackers needed on 9-11 to kill and hold many passengers at bay.