Despite receiving heavy backlash for deciding to allow small knives and other weapons on board planes, the Transportation Security Administration is sticking by their decision.
Major airlines, flight attendants, air marshals and politicians have expressed their opposition against the TSA's policy change, by TSA administrator, John Pistole says he's going through with it. He told a House Homeland Security subcommittee that his decision was final and the policy will go into place next month as planned.
Pistole firmly believes that small knives are no longer a threat to airport security and he wants to place more focus on bomb detection.
"A small pocket knife is simply not going to result in the catastrophic failure of an aircraft and an improvised explosive device will," Pistole said, according to CNN. "And we know, from internal covert testing, searching for these items, which will not blow up an aircraft, can distract our officers from focusing on the components of an improvised explosive device."
Small knives and other shark objects have been banned since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Pistole's decision has received major opposition since he announced it almost two weeks ago. Major carriers such as Delta, American and US Airways have expressed their concern over the new policy.
Some support Pistole's decision, saying that it will save time from having to inspect innocent passengers while more time can be spent focusing on high threat items such as bombs.
However many argue that a small knife can still be too dangerous, especially to the airline crews. The terrorists on 9/11 used box cutters to hijack the planes. Yet Pistole still stands by his choice.
"I think the decision is solid and it stands," Pistole said. "I plan to move forward with it."
Rep. Eric Swalwell, of California doesn't understand the logic of Pistole's decision.
"Just because this is a new threat does not mean that old threats don't still exist," he said.
Swalwell co-authored a letter to Pistole saying he was "mystified" by his decision, calling it "another example of a questionable TSA policy."
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee also expressed opposition to the policy.
"You need to stop this now," she said. "These cause bleeding. These cause injury. These can cause a terrible tragedy. And I don't want to take it to the next length. It can possibly cause someone to lose their life."
Not everyone is against the policy though.
"Why should the federal government devote taxpayer dollars to low-risk people, places, or things?" said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-North Carolina, the subcommittee's chairman.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
