Travel Tips

Travel Tips: Are New TSA Rules Putting Us at Risk?

Recently, the TSA announced new rules for air travelers. We can now bring knives, golf clubs and other sporting goods onboard the aircraft. But is that putting us at risk?

The new rules allow passengers to carry on certain types of pocket knives, but box cutters and razors are still banned. We can also bring sporting goods, including two golf clubs, pool cues, hockey sticks, and ski poles.

The concern isn’t necessarily about terrorism. Instead, it’s about passengers. When you’re talking about inebriated or rowdy travelers, is having golf clubs in the air a good idea?

The idea behind these new rules is to make security lines go faster so the TSA can focus on bigger threats. But the reality is, it’s going to slow down security.

Think about it—they’ll spot a knife in a bag, screen it again, and then decide whether or not it’s a credible threat.

In my book, this wasn’t the most reasonable decision. After all, that bottle of water is still banned, and most of us still have to take off our shoes when we go through security. What good is a golf club if we’re still lacking basic common sense?

For more information, visit the Safety and Security archives.

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