Schumer Calls On TSA To Reverse Decision To Allow Small Knives On Planes
The chorus is growing louder against the Transportation
Security Administration’s new carry-on guidelines that will allow knives on
board airplanes.
Just days after the TSA released new guidelines that will
allow travelers to bring small knives, souvenir baseball bats, golf clubs,
hockey sticks and other sports gear on planes, Sen. Charles Schumer has called
on the agency to reverse itself.
Schumer said the new guidelines, set to take effect on
April 25, will put passengers and crew members in unnecessary danger.
The TSA was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11
terror attacks, when hijackers took over four commercial airplanes. Some of the
hijackers were armed with box cutters.
While box cutters and some other small knives will remain
banned from carry-on luggage, Schumer warns that the new rules will leave the
plane and those on board vulnerable.
The TSA said the move will allow agents to better focus
on more serious weapons like explosives, and noted that the new guidelines are
more in line with international standards.
The senator also notes that last week, undercover federal
agents were able to smuggle a mock bomb through security at Newark Liberty
International Airport, highlighting the need to remain extra vigilant against
potential threats.
On Saturday, Rep. Peter King also blasted the TSA for
allowing the fake bomb through two checkpoints.
The TSA would not disclose the make-up of the mock bomb
but if it was real, it could have blown a hole large enough to bring a plane
down, experts said.
The incident was part of an undercover inspection at
Newark and followed an abysmal performance on an audit last October.
The audit found that Newark TSA agents:
Followed proper pat down procedures just 16.7 percent of
the time.
Confiscated banned items from carry-on luggage just 25
percent of the time.
Last week, relatives of 9/11 victims blasted the new
guidelines, arguing they will make the skies less safe.
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