Allowing knives on
planes
is a dangerous decision
By Denise Rasche ‘13
The security check at the airport is
about to get less stringent in the boarding regulations. The TSA
(Transportation Security Administration) declared that, starting this April,
passengers will be able to carry small knives and other items with them on commercial
airlines.
.
The rule requires knife blades to be less than 2.36 inches long and less than
half an inch wide to be carried on. The rule also allows sports equipment like
baseball bats and golf clubs. The TSA intended to take the spotlight off these
items to be more capable to search for explosives.
This
may improve safety from explosions, but other safety issues have been
questioned by many, including the flight staff. Their argument mainly pertains
to the September 11th attacks. During the assault on the Pentagon and the World Trade
Center in 2001, hijackers
stabbed the flight staff and took control of the cockpit, just with small
utility and pocket knives.
A
TSA spokesman, David Castelveter, argues that Air Marshals prevent this,
commenting, “I feel safe knowing there are Air Marshals to get involved if
there is an unruly passenger on board.” He went on to say, “A small knife will not enable a terrorist to bring down an
airplane.”
An
article in The New York Times later
pointed out that Air Marshals are not on every flight and that 9/11 proved that
men with these weapons can hijack an airplane.
I
asked senior Sophie Grollmus what her position was on this issue and she said,
“I think that knives on planes is dangerous and ignorant. We’ve already given
people a chance to be responsible for these weapons and they have shown that
they are incapable of doing so without causing disaster.”
Sophie
is not alone in her train of thought. I also talked to senior Jordan
Tri-Rudolf and
he said, “I don't think that these kinds of weapons are smart on airplanes
because of the 9/11 attacks.”
All
the evidence that these people have shared has influenced my thinking as well.
My position is based on a simple definition created by Albert Einstein: "Insanity: doing the
same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
I
think that allowing these weapons is foolish and insane. The 19 members of
al-Qaeda that hijacked those planes proved that small knives can be used to
endanger passengers and others on the ground. These knives have already proven
to be dangerous and should still be banned on airplanes.
Never
Forget 9/11/01.
