LA Times - Need to go to the site to read the full article

not to put too fine a point on it -- pun intended -- but nobody is going to be able to hijack an airplane anymore by use of a knife. in fact, no one is going to be able to hijack an airplane with anything much less than a light antitank weapon. displaying a knife of any material on an airplane nowadays would result in the knife wielder to be beaten to a bloody pulp un seconds by very cranky passengers who like the rest of us have just about had it with this crap. though if one of the good guys had a ceramic blade, the fight would get over a lot quicker.

dep

dittos

"There is no place in our society for a weapon like this," said Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Shame on the person who is marketing this. He puts all of us at risk."

Orienting anger on the legal eagles instead of the terrorists is EVIL. Jim HAll needs to be put in jail for conspiracy against freedom.

Thank you, dep, for pointing this out...anyone pulling out a knife as a threat on an airplane now will likely have his or her voice box crushed by the collective boot-heels of every other passenger on board...I was about to reply thusly, and then saw your intelligent post. So, now I'm a brain-dead "me, too"er. :)

I agree. The question here is why the hell are fingernail clippers and nail files banned? Bush needs to force the FAA to get a clue and stop harrassing Americans with "pretend security."

The next terrorists who try will likely have ceramic knives strapped to their legs to kill the Air Marshal and take his gun, not use fingernail clippers.

Pilots need to have guns ASAP. And they should stop inconveniencing people for no good reason.

Better Headlines:

Armed Pilots Defy Nonmetallic Knives.

50 Brave Passengers Defy Nonmetallic Knives.

Alert And Angry Americans Defy Nonmetallic Knives.

Radioactive Former Arab Countries Defy Nonmetallic Knives.

Pilots need to have guns ASAP.

i'll see you and raise you fifty: passengers should have guns. i realized this most especially during the long island railroad maddacre -- one good man with a gun could have brought the proceedings to a halt right quick. now, imagine how differently things would have turned out on september 11 if on board each of those planes were two or three guys with their officers models in condition one.

we must understand that unilateral disarmament does not work on any level.

dep

I have several of these "terroristic" weapons. If these liberal idiots have their way, we'll be eating entire carcasses because all knives will be banned. After, they might be used to hijack a plane or commit a crime.

Pulling out a small knife by one passenger would be suicide however several passengers wielding battleaxes could easily control a plane.......

How could you get battleaxes on an airplaine you may ask?

The oldest form of battleaxes (other than my mother-in-law) is a simple chipped stone head with a wood and leather handle....Totally undetectable by the metal scanners...

With a current workshop, the design could be dramatically improved. A razors edge on a beefy weapon....

Not to mention stone knifes......

These tools in the hands of a trained suicide terrorist would be formidable....

NeverGore

I have been wondering about ceramic knives - when it would dawn on people that they exist. And they just aren't sporting-type blades, but kitchen knives.

Yep they're the bst kitchen knives. It would be stupid to ban them, but it shows how metal detectors just make us "feel safer" but it's a false sense of security. Passengers need to know that despite your nailclippers being taken from you, the guy next to you may have a large knife.

So get ready to roll, heroes.

Not to mention stone knifes......

Mmmmmmm... stone knives...

Stone blades. Second row, second pic.

I don't think a $137 9 1/2" knife is really an issue. No highjacker is going to carry something that large and obvious. Typical Liberal spin to attack our freedoms. Here's a source of the knives.
http://www.shomertec.com/item.cfm?variable=442
Do you want an easy to conceal weapon to carry on a plane for your safety? Take one or more of your old credit cards and sharpen the long edge, put a nice 15 degree taper on it, sharpen the round corner too, use real fine sand paper 600 grit or better and polish the edge. To use, simply hold it in your palm using all four fingers to press the CCard against the thumb keeping the thumb along the length of the CCard for rigidity. Test it on some raw meat. This ought to spin the Liberals to overload. Spread this "New Terror Weapon" idea around and we'll see how long it takes for CNN to pick up on it and the Gov't to start inspecting our wallets and CCards. "Please arrive for your flight 4 hours in advance for a complete strip search and body cavity inspection" "Please check all shoe laces with the Security Guard"
Geesh, Northwest has banned powdered creamer and sweetner on flights.................

"There is no place in our society for a weapon like this," said Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Shame on the person who is marketing this. He puts all of us at risk."

An armed air marshall, pilot, co-pilot, flight attenant or passenger could detect and remove the risk.

Perhaps a stun gun, for sure a 380, 38 Special, 9 MM, 357, 40 Cal or a 45 full of Glaser Safety Slugs would remove the risk.

"Shame on the idiot who disarmed the sheep. He puts all of us (past and present) at risk."

Take one or more of your old credit

Or just take a CD and break it in two ;).

Geesh, Northwest has banned powdered creamer and sweetner on flights................

This is an interesting spiral we find ourselves on. Every object that gets used in a headline crime instantly becomes the target of new banning legislation. Every time we ban one common item, the bad guys will simply exercise their creativity and use another, which we will ban in turn. Ultimately it will have no measurable impact on crime, but it most certainly will have an oppressive effect on the law abiding citizenry. Realistically, this approach only increases the power of the criminal while tying the hands of the victims.

Or just take a CD and break it in two ;).

The guy who sits in the cubicle next to mine claims that some joker on a flight tore an aluminum beer can in half and then palmed it to demonstrate to the flight attendant how he could use it as a weapon. According to his story, the knothead was met by airport security when they landed. I don't know if it is a true story, or not, but it certainly does highlight the possibility. I suppose we'll have to ban aluminum cans from airlines now?

Sounds like the typical airline response to someone trying to show how stupid the security measures are

I suppose we'll have to ban aluminum cans from airlines now?

Only one way to solve this problem, whether it manifests itself in Anthrax or sharp implements: get rid of the perpetrators. Find every terrorist and kill them, in the US or abroad. Deport the Islamic fanatics and quarantine them. Do not tolerate them having WMD's or excessive armaments - look to how Japan had limitations on it after the war. Do not allow them even a tourist visum to any part of the world that wish to be a member of civilized society and part of world trade.