New TSA Rules On Knives Draw Fire From Families Of 9/11 Victims
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Some family members of Sept. 11 terror victims are angry over new flight-safety rules that will permit small knives on planes.
The head of the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that air passengers will now be allowed to carry folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches or less.
The rules go into effect next month. They'll also permit souvenir baseball bats, golf clubs and other sports equipment.
Sally Regenhard says she's "flabbergasted" by the new rules. She lost her firefighter son at the World Trade Center.
New TSA Rules On Knives Draw Fire From Families Of 9/11 Victims
Regenhard said she flew recently and had a yogurt confiscated at security.
"I cannot believe that they're considering a pen knife and a golf club less dangerous than a container of yogurt. It's outrageous. I'm shocked and I really hope that this is reversed," she told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.
Debra Burlingame said small pocketknives can be just as lethal as the box cutters that are still banned.
Her brother Charles was the pilot of the hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The hijackers wielded box cutters.
Burlingame said she suspects the TSA decided to allow small knives because they often pass through security undetected, Diamond reported.
The TSA says the policy change, which was announced on Tuesday, brings the U.S. in line with international standards and allows the agency to concentrate on more serious safety threats like explosives.
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