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Knives on Planes? Hello? What About Guns?

Robert Farago - comments No comments

Guns on planes? (courtesy tripcart.typepad.com)

You want to know why civilian disarmament is all the rage? We’ve become a nation of wimps. The howls of protest greeting the TSA’s decision to allow knives on planes are proof positive that The Home of the Brave is now The Home of the Somebody Please Protect Me! Last night, conservative radio host Michael Savage railed against the “lunacy” of letting airplane passengers carry a knife with a 2.6″ or less blade that doesn’t lock. “What are you going to do if 10 Islamofascists grab a baby and one of them holds a knife to its jugular?” Savage asked a caller. Gee Michael, what would you do? Curse the TSA? If it were me, I’d start shooting as many as I could and hope for the best for the baby. Oh wait. I can’t shoot anyone. I can’t carry a gun on an airplane. And that’s because . . .

I might use it to hijack the plane or kill people. Well, not me per se. “Me” used here in the sense of “anyone with a gun.” Well, not anyone . . .

Pilots are allowed to carry firearms. Air Marshalls, too. In fact, according to the TSA Blog, “As of July 15, 2009, TSA implemented security enhancements to the process that allows state, local, territorial, and tribal Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) to fly armed.”

So pilots and police can carry a gun in a plane (or Amtrak train) but not me or other law-abiding Americans. We can’t be trusted. Not with a locking knife or a firearm.

If nothing else, we’re not as as “qualified” as LEOs when it comes to defending life and limb. Allegedly.

Did you know that civilians remove more criminals from the gene pool than cops and do so far more efficiently with less collateral damageForty-one shots, six hits? Sixteen shots, nine bystanders hit? More? All done?

Not yet.

LEOs who want to carry on an airplane have to take a special class. Do they teach them how to shoot a gun in an airplane (e.g. where not to aim or what to do during rapid depressurization)? They do not. The whole class is about clearing security.

Now hear this: a law-abiding American with a firearm could have saved thousands of lives during the 9/11 attacks. Maybe even stopped a war before it began. Speaking of which, can we discuss deterrence?

No, I suppose not. The idea that armed citizens in airplanes would prevent terrorist attacks by their mere presence strikes most Americans as sensible as putting armed guards in schools to prevent spree killings. Oops. Sorry. Less. A lot less. For some reason.

Some gun owners have proposed a “special permit” for Americans who wish to fly armed. I agree. I reckon a copy of the United States Constitution ought to do it. You know if I was going to be a man about it.

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Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

0 thoughts on “Knives on Planes? Hello? What About Guns?”

  1. with an ir laser on the rail and a pvs 14 on the nogin plus 30 in the grip this peice is insane for hoggin 4 legs or 2 🙂

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  2. RF, good luck convincing gunnies that the Constitution is our “special permit” when most have already sought permission slips for concealed carry.

    The argument against government granting permission to excercise your rights has already been ceded.

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    • Calling the constitution a permit is ridiculous in and of itself but nevermind that. It’s called incrementalism.

      Our rights and liberty were not lost in a day and cannot be won back in a day (if they can be won back at all).

      Like it or not the incrementalist approach has been successful as far as concealed carry goes. Just look at how many states went from no carry or may issue to shall issue over the past couple decades. Now some states are moving from shall issue to constitutional carry.

      I personally find even shall issue permitting insulting and a violation of our rights but it’s been successful in serving as a stepping stone and demystifying the whole practice.

      Each time some idiot predicted blood in the streets and it didn’t materialize, we won.

      Reply
      • I agree with regard to the Constitution… it doesn’t “grant” me permission either.

        Incrementalism for freedom would only work if it was faster than the incrementalism of tyranny, which it’s not.

        Permission to drive, permission to build on your property, permission to run a business, permission to sell food, permission to use your land, permission to work, permission to run a charity, permission to gather in a group in public, permission to build a fence, permission to dispose of waste, permission to own a dog…

        Some people in some states arguing for some relief from some permits will never overcome the continual encroachment of liberty that defines local, state, and federal governmental power. Rejecting the idea and practice of obtaining government permission is the only way liberty will be victorious.

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  3. I guess you would act the same as if you weren’t on a plane and someone threatened a baby. Surprising coming from Savage.

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  4. This is the bizarre logic of the TSA that rules our security… Case in point. My father took a plane out to Iraq for one of his tours and it was a commercial aircraft but for a designated flight. He had his M4 strapped to his back and his 9mm on his thigh in a standard holster yet they had to search his luggage for liquids over 3 oz. I have the pictures, they are a hoot.

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  5. I was under the impression that putting a hole in the plane would cause depressurization problems… are the pilots & marshals using frangible ammo or something?

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  6. I only fly if it’s absolutely an emergency. If the airline industry collapses in this country who will we blame? The terrorists or the TSA?

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  7. Need to bear in mind that with little Andy it is all about the political optics…in this case the need to get something on the books faster than anyone else and to establish his liberal bona fides for the 2016 election. That’s how he has rolled since day one. Whether the law really holds up or not is not his concern. Same thing happened with his “tax cap” law. He crows about controlling taxes when in fact he changed none of the laws that drive municipality and school district expenses–but merely pushed the distasteful process of voting overrides to the cap down to the local level. These will be his national talking points come 2016 and the poodle press will do little to investigate the reality. Saving grace is that he has the temperment of one of those overly inbred Cocker Spaniels that barks insanely and pees on the floor every time the doorbell rings. That will be his undoing.

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  8. Guns on a train, guns on a train, guns anywhere else – makes no difference. Its interesting that someone like Savage can act this way. It seems that even our friends buy into “ban those dangerous weapons” mind set when taken unawares.
    This whole thing has been misreported in any case. Its not that the TSA is encouraging people to all carry knives and/or bats, golf clubs or whatever only that they’re no longer going to make a big deal over these small and/or insignificant items. The press, of course, pumps-it-up in the grand ol’ yellow journalism style and everybody gets excited. Pleeeze!

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  9. My partner and I are slowly working on a song (Wierd Al style) about the wierd sh*t that happens in Memphis. Its called “Only in Memphis” which is to the tune of “Walking in Memphis.”

    Anyways, I dont know if they finally cleaned up their act or not but if not, thoes dogs are better off dead than in the Memphis Animal “Shelter.”

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  10. Two incompetent cops affraid pitbulls, who by definition are DOG/ANIMAL aggressive unless trained to go after people. Back in the breeding process, dogs that showed human aggression were culled on the spot in fights (read throat slit). German shephards have a stronger bite, are faster, and bigger/stronger than most pits. If i shoot a strange german shepherd let in my property i might be a “cop killer”. Bad dogs are raised by idiot people, who will inevitably raise a-hole children of their own. Bad dogs come from BAD PEOPLE. Theres no such thing as a really bad dog, or there are very few examples where the owner didnt create the monster. Why are people so scared of a dog bite, its scarier being on the road with unlicensed illegals fresh off the donkey driving around.

    BUCKSHOT BUKAKI FOR THE RETARDS!

    Stop shooting dogs (any size or breed) and use your nightstick, taser, pepper spray, or an old fashioned boot to the head and ribs. You can easily injure and dispatch a dog with a minor injury. Theres been a whole slew of stories of cops “old yellering” dogs for no reason, EVEN FOO FOO DOGS.

    What happened to the good old fashioned Peace Officer who is beloved by his town and serves them as he wants to be treated.

    Till then, enjoy the friendly fire piggys…… you have much to learn from the older generation of peace officers, not POLICE. If you cant work with dogs in THEIR house, enjoy shooting each other in the diicks in your panic state of mind.

    End hippy pitbull loving, retard-cop despising rant.

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    • It may come as surprise to you that not everybody love Pitbulls as pets. Bad guys like to make them viscious so they will attack anybody who invades their space like rival gang members and law enforcement. Not the dogs fault but the cops are going defend themselves against these dogs turned into weapons. The name of the unit and the location of the incident might be a tipoff as to what clas of dogs these Pitbulls fall into. They weren’t your golden retriever owning class of people. But perhaps you can volunteer to help the Memphis police handle these weaponized dogs. That would make an entertaining youtube video.

      In the meantime there is this story:

      http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/06/pit-bull-attacks-kills-wisconsin-toddler/

      Reply
  11. Does anybody else feel seriously insulted when LEOs are given
    preference to carry a firearm? How many concealed carry
    holders are former or active military, firefighters, EMTs etc..
    We can be responsible for dozens of lives and millions of dollars
    worth of equipment, but a gun makes us untrustworthy,
    regardless of firearms training and experience?

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  12. If anyone knows, do citizens in NY have the ability to have a recall election on elected officials?If so, make them spend and spend to defend their oath breaking conduct then kick them to the curb.

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  13. After not being able to buy a Mosin Nagant at a gun show for pretty much this purpose, I’d say Shotguns

    Go get some cheap ass Maverick 88s from Academy/Walmart ect ect

    They work, they are simple, they’re effective

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      • I have a surplus of Mosin Nagants and ammo. I also have a surplus of single shot break action shotguns, possibly the world’s easiest and most murphy proof weapon for noobs.

        I do not advocate giving handguns, even revolvers to total noobs during a shitstorm. If it’s long term and you have a chance to see your noobs under stress, maybe.

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  14. I grew up in Houston, Texas, and lived for about 3 years in Connecticut and found the people there to be decidedly chilly.

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  15. You sort of elided a few details of the story. Namely, that the officer hit by the errant shotgun blast was in critical condition – meaning, he was hurt rather badly.

    Well, how did he get hurt this badly? To be in “critical condition,” you usually would need a GSW to the head, neck or chest region of the body.

    Oh, yes, here we go: “The officer, whose name wasn’t released, tried to shoot the dog, but missed and shot Bryant in the back, Rudolph said.”

    There we go. Now we have some more details with which to work here. One officer shot another in the back. Way to go there, Barney.

    Let’s see what the police management had to say about this:

    “Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said the decision to shoot the dog, described as a pit bull breed, was made in a split-second. He laid the blame for the shooting not at the officer, but at those inside the home.”

    Really? The people inside the home aimed that scattergun and pulled the trigger?

    This is the sort of thing I’m on about. Some people like to call me “anti-cop.” Well, who wouldn’t be anti-cop when cops are dispensing sophistry such as the above. In this story, we see the usual denial in evidence: It’s never the fault of an officer, no matter how incompetent. It’s always someone else’s fault.

    And need we even ask who is going to pay for this display of incompetence? Nah. There’s not going to be a shred of doubt who pays for this. The taxpayers will.

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  16. Working dogs like the one pictured are bad to the bone. He is no doubt ready to eat the camera operator and only holding back on training.

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  17. As mentioned previously in various TTAG reviews of lever guns, an 18″ barrel does a pretty impressive job of increasing foot-pounds of energy from a pistol round. A combo of .357/.38 pistol (I would put .38s in the handgun for a newbie) with a .357 Rossi or Marlin lever gun – that’s not a bad defensive combo. My Marlin .357 cranks a 158gr hollowpoint up to nearly .30-30 energy, and with peep sights it’s easy to shoot accurately at 100 yards.

    REALLY good excuse to buy a couple more guns, too.

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  18. Well, my lever gun wouldn’t do a newbie any good at all. My Marlin 1895GS .45-70 will definitely turn a newbie off for life. Especially since I only use the higher powered stuff. I have let some folks try it and the the reaction after one shot is OUCH – PLEASE – NO MORE! The only ones that love it like I do are the ones with similar experience and time with all things of the gun. Which is like three people, one of which bought an 1895 and one of the others is shopping for one. Other than my .22s and 9mm, I don’t own anything a newbie would be comfortable with.

    As for my neighbors here in the far NW suburbs of Chicago, I have lived in the same house for 16 years and I know three of my neighbors and only one do I have any type of relationship with. Even my friendly neighbor does not think anything bad will ever happen and doesn’t like the evil black rifles. He is mostly a FUDD, but he does think we should be “allowed” to own them if we want.

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  19. You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
    We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
    Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
    The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
    For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
    But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
    An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
    An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

    -Rudyard Kipling, “Tommy”

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  20. Oscar gets the smuck award for 2013. There are about a billion guys who would die to be this chic’s bedmate. She picks someone with no legs and then he has the chutzpah to go shoot her. Go figure.

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  21. No disrespect to veterans but I feel the same way about veterans being exempt from gun laws as I do law enforcement being exempt from gun laws. Police and veterans aren’t and exalted higher power. They’re people like all of us.

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  22. Case in point: Gun Control Act of 1968. Pretense was Kennedy assassination; net result was restricting access to affordable handguns for poor minorities.

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  23. Actually, what the Department of Homeland Security has done is define “domestic terrorists” as anyone who has both the knowledge of government tyranny and the means to resist government tyranny.

    When looking for suspects, determine who has the means and motive to commit a crime. It is classic criminal law.

    The fact that all of these “domestic terrorists” have NOT harmed anyone and simply want government to leave them alone doesn’t matter. Their “crime” is desiring liberty.

    Does that really surprise anyone?

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  24. I can’t watch this. It just raises my blood pressure. For me, it’s best viewed through the filter of annalists by others. This DF I mean Diane Fienstine is a diabolical life form that can negatively affect your DNA. I don’t watch….for the children.

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  25. It’s not really about picking the gun owners out – it’s easier to pick the non-gun people out for me. I’ll make a slight list and if you’re offended by it, well tough titty said the kitty.
    – any idiot with holes in his ear that I could toss a 12g shell through from 6 feet.
    – any woman with short hair and sports that tight, anus-holding-in-a-fart face.
    – any dope in a hybrid car
    – frizzy and gray-haired people that are extremely skinny that hang around coffee shops
    – anyone in front of a TV that watches shows such as American Idol

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  26. Stupid people in positions of power doing stupid things. And its all going to be blown up when it gets to the courts. And I suspect that the idiots who started all this wont make it past the next elections…..

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