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Now that TSA is allowing certain knives to be carried aboard planes, some people are saying this makes flying too dangerous. (AP Photo)

Why Dori will bring a knife on a plane

March 7, 2013 @ 3:28 pm (Updated: 4:00 pm - 3/7/13 )

On Wednesday the TSA announced that they would let people bring small knives on planes, sparking outcry from the flight attendant union, and from travelers who think this will make flying unsafe.

Dori said that he also worries about the TSA allowing two-and-a-half inch knife blades on planes.

Now people have to ask themselves how confident they are about their safety, and decide: am I going to bring a weapon on this plane?

"If bad guys can carry a knife on planes, I'm going to find the maximum size of knife allowed by TSA," said Dori, "and I'm going to carry that knife when I fly - when I'm flying with my wife and my girls, or when I fly by myself. I'm not going to let someone have more weaponry than me. Is that an irrational reaction to this?"

Producer Jake agreed. People can be unpredictable.

"I don't want to be the only one unarmed," said Jake.

The TSA made the decision because they want to focus more of their energies on looking for bombs, rather than taking time looking for lower risk items. Now that cockpits are locked, there's a much lower risk of planes getting hijacked if someone has a knife.

"Pre-911 the cockpit doors were open or unlocked during flights," said Dori. "You could just look in and watch the pilots flying the plane."

But now flight attendants are the first line of defense, and the flight attendants union has come out against the decision. Sarah Nelson, Vice President of the Association of Flight Attendants, appeared on the Today Show, said her organization was not consulted before the TSA made their decision, and that her union will fight the new policy.

"They're a deadly weapon. And they're unnecessary. It is unnecessary to put these on our aircraft. After September 11th the policy changed, and it changed for a reason," said Nelson.

Dori often thinks that people take the small things too seriously, like suspending seven-year-olds for having gun-shaped Pop Tarts. But he's concerned about the TSA's new policy.

"I do think this one's silly. It's worse than silly. If my only recourse is to bring a knife on the plane when I fly, that's what I'll do," said Dori.

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Comments (23)


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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    "Why Dori will bring a knife on a plane"
    March 7, 2013 4:01 pm
    Because he's a reactionary dick. That's why. If this were happening under a republican administration, I'm sure he'd not even have commented on this... Oh, and for many, many years people have been able to carry this kind of knife onboard - and not once has one been used in the airplane.... Wow. It's such a threat....
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  • sghouse wrote...
    Tempest in a teapot
    March 7, 2013 4:12 pm
    before 9/11 people could carry whatever knife then felt like on an airplane. It wasn't a big deal and there weren't a lot of problems. So why do we think there will now be a lot of problems allowing rather small knives to be carried?

    Especially now that anyone who gets out of line will be tackled by half the other passengers on the plane. Never again will anyone with something less than a bomb be able to take control of a commercial aircraft.

    I applaud this decision as I like to have a useful tool called a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket.

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  • Pair o'dimes wrote...
    I'm not going to let someone have more weaponry than me
    March 7, 2013 5:46 pm
    So Dori what weapons do you carry when you drive...or walk down the street...or when you shop at the mall. If you feel you have to match the potential arms of anyone out there then you should be armed to the teeth most of the time. So did the arms race start with a penknife?
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    It's been a while since I've flown but does first class still serve steak knives with their meals?
    March 7, 2013 6:02 pm
    I do know that given less than a minute with that aluminum pop can, I can fashion a blade that can cut your throat quicker than the typically dull pen knife.

    But Dori ? Jake? I hope you are being jiving us on this topic. Otherwise, when they put you in Western State EVERYONE will be unarmed.

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  • Drool wrote...
    The Only Reason
    March 7, 2013 6:05 pm
    9/11 was as successful as it was, was due to the policies of submitting to the demands of a hijacker. That is all history. Planes have reinforced doors and the cabin crew/pax are not going to submit to a takeover with or without pocket knives.

    That being said I will carry a pocket knife. Why? Because I always carry one. Banning pocket knives was dumb in the first place.

    An airplane was potentially saved once by a knife carrying passenger. There was smoke coming from behind a wall it flight. A passenger whipped out his saw equipped knife, and cut a hole in the wall so the flight attendant could shoot a fire extinguisher inside.

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  • GaryKerr wrote...
    Thanks for your comment
    March 15, 2013 8:10 pm
    Excellent example!
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  • GaryKerr wrote...
    Me Too!
    March 15, 2013 8:19 pm
    With the exception of post 9/11 flights, I've carried a pocketknife in my pocket every day since I was in the 2nd grade. They are NOT weapons. You would have been laughed off the playground if you even suggested that they were (a school book could easily defeat a non-locking pocketknife). My wife can carry 4" pointy scissors in her purse. My little 1.25" pocketknife has little scissors, but I can't take them on a plane. My wife can take large tweezers on a plane. My little 1.25" pocketknife has little tweezers, but I can't take them on a plane. My wife can keep a 7" screwdriver in her purse and walk on a plane. My little 1.25" pocketknife has a built-in screwdriver, but I can't take it on a plane. Look, I'm a man. I don't carry a purse. My wife can bring on board an entire arsenal of tools and utensils, but I have to check a bag and put my little 1.25" pocket knife in it. It's not safe or practical for me to carry something as dangerous as her scissors in my pockets, but my little pocketknife, which was specifically designed to allow me to safely bring some little tools with me, for some reason, scares flight attendants. By the way, the "knife" part of my little pocketknife does not lock into position. It was specifically designed to NOT be a weapon: it will fold in on itself in the blink of an eye.
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  • Ricoli wrote...
    Knives on planes ?
    March 7, 2013 6:59 pm
    I for one, have carried a pocket knife for over 50 years. When I have to fly somewhere, I put my knife in my checked bag. I was more upset last February, when returning to SeaTac from Phoenix, the first thing I saw while leaving the plane was two women in muslim garb with airport employee badges. While I don't think I am a racist, it is too soon after 9/11 for me to see this.
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  • Papoon wrote...
    knife
    March 7, 2013 7:08 pm
    I used to wear a Buck knife on my belt when flying. The only time I had to take it off was from Maui to Hilo. That was in the 70's though.I haven't flown since 9/11 and have no reason to ever fly again.
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    I thought the argument was...
    March 7, 2013 7:35 pm
    More weapons, less criminals.

    Criminals always carry despite the law. So, why be angry when the TSA allows the good guys to carry along side the bad guys?

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  • William Lawn wrote...
    Because it is Dori, soo
    March 7, 2013 9:00 pm
    Never been anything done the doesn't make him ANGRY.

    Short, fat guy problem, if you ask me.

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  • GaryKerr wrote...
    But a pocketknife is NOT a weapon
    March 15, 2013 8:25 pm
    The non-locking blade of a pocketknife renders it almost totally useless as a weapon. If you're going for "weapon-parity," I'd recommend a 7" screwdriver that is currently allowed, or a ski pole that will be allowed after April 25th. If you pull out a pocketknife (not a switchblade, not a box cutter, but a plain old pocketknife) you'll just be laughed at. They are NOT weapons!
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  • William Lawn wrote...
    I've carried a knife on maybe a hundred flights since 9/11
    March 7, 2013 8:51 pm
    Western and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Chili. It is on my car key chain and sort of looks like a key.

    Made by Swisstech, It is a phillips and flat blade screw driver, a knife and a bottle opener.

    It just struck me a couple of years ago that I was doing it. I thought feuck it, they haven't picked it up yet. Still haven't.

    Except now it is legal.

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  • roomtemp wrote...
    "I do think this one's silly. It's worse than silly."
    March 7, 2013 9:08 pm
    Dori, stop calling yourself a libertarian. You have a habit of accepting government control if it's something you happen to agree with. Libertarians believe in liberty even when it's inconvenient.

    What's silly is the ban on knives in the first place. As far as I'm concerned they should mount a taser on every seat-back and install some emergency air fresheners to get rid of that freshly barbequed hijacker smell...

    He's still twitchin' grandma, zap him again!

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