By Deirdre Spilman
Opinion Editor
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)’s new, ignorant attempt at saving time is putting our nation at risk.
The TSA will now permit passengers to board planes with objects that were rightfully banned after 9/11. They can have blades that are 2.36 inches or 6 centimeters or less in length and are less than a 1/2 inch in width. Frequently seen items like novelty-sized toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs are now allowed in carry-on baggage, according to a March 5 statement released by the agency.
When placed in the wrong hands, these items could cause major harm. Practically anything can be turned into a weapon by a clever user, so why would we want to give people the opportunity to do so?
The reason given for dismissing these possible threats? The TSA thinks its efforts should be more concentrated on finding things that would pose a more dangerous threat, such as explosives.
Yes, explosives pose a major threat, but that just means we should be looking for those threats with even more ferocity. That in no way means we should diminish efforts to look for other weapons.
A weapon is a weapon. Just because it might not have the ability to make a plane explode does not mean it should not be contraband.
The events of Sept. 11, 2001 served as a tragic wake-up call for our nation’s security. The rules were far too relaxed and unbeknownst to us, we were putting ourselves at major risk.
Security systems everywhere received a long-overdue overhauling after that day. But by allowing passengers access to these potentially harmful objects, we are taking a huge leap backwards in the progress we have made since then.
It does not matter who has what in their carry-on luggage. It matters who has access to it. For example, a little league team traveling with baseball bats may not seem like a threat at all, but once they are on the plane, anyone could obtain the bats and cause harm if they wanted to.
Just because an object does not have the capability to send an airplane spiraling into a fiery crash does not mean it shouldn’t be considered a weapon. To think that is just ridiculous. Despite the fact that these knives may not lock, or are not as long as other types, does not mean they are any less sharp.
Almost 12 years after the events of 9/11, we have become too complacent when it comes to security. It is not fair that our sense of security is being compromised, simply because the TSA is not willing to divide their time wisely. I may feel a bit less concerned if a knife was threatening the plane when compared to an explosive, but I would definitely still feel frightened.
The TSA should give all different types of weapons equal priority or at least prevent efforts to diminish one over the other. Leaving gaps, especially one as big as this, puts us all at risk.
