How did the air line industry ever come to the conclusion that nail clippers are a deadly weapon?

It’s just a slippery slope from allowing nail clippers to allowing ½” Chinese folding scissors, and children’s plastic scissors, both of which I know have been seized for safety!

They are a weapon, and can cut wires attached to the cockpit.

For example: a Canadian decapitated a Greyhound bus passager with nail clippers while they slept, because he thought he was a robot. He was committed and is getting day passes soon.

After that Greyhound security went nuts, and eventually the routes got cancelled. I had to empty all of my pockets and get a body scan.

Don’t want to be too morbid, @RedDeerGuy1, but how in the world could you decapitate someone with nail clippers while they slept? It must have taken a long time and been very messy, and how could others not have noticed? And wouldn’t the passenger have awakened at the first nip? How could you sit there sleeping on a bus until your head came off?

@Jeruba
It was a night time as everyone slept on the long bus ride. In the newspapers for a long time that scared people from goin on buses.

I found two stories. One doesn’t mention a weapon; the other says “a large knife.” Multiple stabs (50–60) and then beheading. No nail clippers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38945061

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7535840.stm

It wasn’t quiet, either, and people didn’t sleep through it: “All of a sudden, we all heard this scream, this bloodcurdling scream,” passenger Garnet Caton told CBC television.

@Jeruba @Inspired_2write Thanks. I can understand how security would go overboard with restrictions. I don’t want to go deeper. It’s too creepy. They also banned knitting needles. I will lurk from here on in this thread.

Nail clipper bans are silly. There are pieces and parts of luggage that would be more effective. Honestly though, the TSA is there mostly to make you feel safe about flying IMO. Being nitpicky seems to play into that comfort facade. I once mistakenly left a folding hunting knife in my carry on backpack. It was no pocket knife, the thing was huge. It was not concealed in any way, just in the backpack and it went right through. I only realized what I had done when I got off the flight and could not find it in my checked luggage and remembered it was in my backpack. It was a gift for someone so it was giftwrapped in the box. Still though, if that’s all it takes…

I’ve flown with Swiss Army knives (post-9/11) that were not noticed. Not intentionally – I just hadn’t thought about it. They got noticed on the way back, but I was able to mail them home.

Adam Savage has a funny story about getting past post-9/11 TSA carrying 12-inch razor blades.

I know someone who got through carrying a metal microphone boom that could have served as a medieval mace.

It all seems pretty arbitrary.

All my non-Asian dorm mates with Chinese throwing stars: souvenirs.

My Asian ass with a Chinese throwing star: lethal weapon.

Apparently all Asians are ninjas.
LOL

Way back when, they stated that the attached pointy nail file was scary and could be used to stab someone to death on a plane. The last time I tried to stab out junk from under my nails with one of those things, it folded away uselessly. TSA finally updated their list to omit nail clippers. They might still have a 1.5” limit on blades. They took away my 1.5” swiss army keychain knife some time ago. Try hijacking a plane with a 1.5” knife nowadays. Probably will get beaten to a pulp before you get too far.

Was it really classified as deadly weapon? Some nail clippers come with pointy files that can be used for stabbing a person in the neck or the eyes or ears. Multiple times. That would be a bloody horrible terroristic act.

TSA used to take them away at the airport. They have since revised the restrictions: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/nail-clippers

Even knife limits are higher now: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-transportation-security-idUSBRE92503X20130306

I suppose a lot of objects could be somehow weaponized in the wrong hands. Go figure.