Just last week I was checking out a guy’s new knife, and asked, “BTW, is it legal?” He and 2 other guys responded by laying it crossways on their palms, and saying any blade that is not longer than your palm is wide is legal. So whenever I’m carrying, I’m bringing Artis Gilmore with me.
Re the federal buildings, I spend much of my workdays in them. One day I noticed a guy at work had a little keyring Swiss Army knife. Jokingly I asked if carrying it was a federal offense. He responded that there is a specific fed reg about blades in fed bldgs, and his complies. (He is the type of nerd who would have checked.)
I chat a bit with guards at various courthouses and other gov’t bldgs. A recurring point is that they find it somewhat humorous that they ever discover guns and large weapons on folk passing through MDs. I mean, no one forces someone to walk into the building and through the MD. If you walk in the bldg and see everyone has to go thru the MD, you can turn around and walk out. Leave the weapon in the car. But these idiots figure, maybe the machine won’t catch me, and I’ll be able to bluff my way out.
Check with local LEOs. And there is no reason to exceed or even approach the limit. If you know how to use it, size isn’t that important.
Several manufacturers make small blades whose sheaths attach to your keyring. Consider a kubaton or palm stick. In your car, a box cutter or sharp screwdriver can inflict damage, but are not per se illegal to possess. Above all, however, if you are going to carry any type of weapon with the intent of using it for self defense, learn how to use it. And if you don’t perceive a need for the weapon, then why the hell are you carrying it?
I’ve always carried my old Boy Scout knife (yes! I still have it an use it!) on board planes, and have never had a problem with security. Of course, it’s a lot less than 4".
O the other hand, I was stopped at Manchester Airport in ther UK for carrying… Crazy Glue! Yes! And it was still in its blister pack. They said it was an “irritant”, and therefore forbidden (although they didn’t protest when I brought it INTO the counry – they stopped me going out.) No problem with my knife, bt I couldn’t carry cyanoacrylate glue. Maybe they were afraid I was going to glue the stewards and stewardesses to the wall.
My wife just thinks that the folks at the checkpoint suddenly realized that they needed some glue …
I honestly don’t think there is a regulation or, if there is one, that it’s strictly followed. Until recently, I always carried a Swiss Army knife, and I’ve never been bothered by airport security. I put it in the little basket along with my keys, and they give it back to me when I pass through the dector.
Now I carry a Leatherman multi-tool, which has a longer, serrated blade. I’m traveling in September, so I’ll report back if there are problems.
I once tried to take a hammer on board an aircraft in my carry-on bag. (I needed one, my dad gave me one, and somehow it was forgotten about until I had already checked my luggage.) I was pulled aside and the hammer was confiscated. I was utterly perplexed until they explained that they considered it a potential weapon; such a possibility had simply never entered my mind.
When I was a child, I put my trusty and beloved cap gun in my carry-on bag, unbeknownst to my parents. (Hey, we were going to Texas, who WOULDN’T take their cap gun?) The security person at the x-ray machine let out a gasp, turned to another one and exclaimed, “There’s a gun in there!”, and our entire party was quickly whisked away. When my cap gun was revealed (in its shiny red leather holster), the very frowny security people took it away with a stern rebuke about how it could be mistaken for a real one (doutful, but I can see their point) and said I could claim it when I returned. My mortified parents debated briefly about whether to claim ME upon their return, but it all worked out in the end. Haven’t tried that again.
I agree totally with the poster who said that the guidelines are intentionally vague to allow security to exercise, presumably, a reasonable amount of judgement. In my childhood case, I doubt that a bright green plastic water gun would have been confiscated, but I can understand why my somewhat-realistic metal cap gun was. Likewise, they never show any alarm at my small pocketknife, but it would be ridiculous to tie them to some precise rule of millimeters that would make two knives of almost-idential size okay/not-okay. Cecil made a comment in a column regarding people with metal artificial body parts going through security that was, approximately, “Security people encountering such a situation are equipped with a hand-held metal-detecting device and, presumably, a brain.” Dispute the latter if you wish, but you get the idea.
At the risk of being slapped around heavily by Manny for talking about how to make a bomb here, I would argue your allegation, MC. A Star-Tac phone is TINY- and my Motorola is pretty beefy. Plenty of room left for…whatevah. Just a thought.
Heck, you could turn a laptop into a bomb just by smearing some substances on the monitor hinge, or underneath a particular key. Wouldn’t take up any internal space at all.
Of course, you could use those same substances on just about any surface, or as a stand-alone, too.
This reminds me of a trick I pulled on a guy I hated, I knew he was going to be flying out of San Fran International at the same time as I was, different flight, but close terminals. I brought about 5 rounds of 9mm ammo, went up to him before he went through the metal detectors and clipped them into his carry on. OH BOY you should have seen all the cops show up. They kicked his ass, beat him to the ground and drug him off to be questioned. I saw him after I got back, he was kinda bruised and said that he never made his flight untill the next day.
He never found out it was me.
Oh and Guy Propski please let me know how the leatherman thing goes, I have a Super Tool, and want to know how it will do in an airport.
A close friend of mine who worked as court house security (he is a county deputy) arrested several people during the course of a year for bringing in weapons and leaving before going through a metal detector. It is illegal to bring a weapon into the courthouse, period. It doesn’t make it any less illegal to leave before you get to the metal detector.
When I was coming back from London two years ago with my wife and buddy they asked, “are you traveling with family” and of course I said my wife so they split my buddy off. then they asked if I had anything that looked like a weapon, now looks like a weapon is a broad term so I said yeah a letter opener. then he askes if there was anyone else in my family there and I say no just us. he goes off and talks to someone else and comes back bitching “why didn’t you tell me that you where traveling with HIM?” damn moron you asked about FAMILY not other people. and the only reason I told him about the opener is cause he asked about looking like, not is.
then once when going to Arizona we had to change planes, we where told that we would be the first people on but had to RUN across the airport and go through another MD and some other guy had a can of shaving cream and we where all stopped because of it. I was pissed cause we got the last seats, idiots.
I think the reason that most of you are missing the bigger picture here is because you are basically nice people and don’t think like crazies or those who intend harm.
A 2 inch blade could easily cut a neck artery causing a pretty quick death. Now I’m not defending airport security people, but I would rather them err on the side of caution on the plane ride I’M on.
And I damn sure don’t want to be hammered on in flight. Remember, most flights serve booze.
Interestingly, in Dallas getting caught with a concealed handgun is a misdemeanor, a knife with a blade over 6" - a felony.
I realised the pun after I wrote it…but I’ll let it stand.