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Camper nabbed by TSA for knife on airplane packing blunder

August 4, 2015

If you’re a fan of Chris Reeve Knives you’ve probably heard their motto “Think Twice, Cut Once”. But an Illinois man just gave meaning to the credo: ‘Pack Once, Check Twice’.

While returning home from a camping trip the 21 year old bushcrafter was stopped at a security check point when TSA officials at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport realized he was bringing more than an iPod, snacks, and a copy of BLADE Magazine onto the airplane.

“We called the police immediately,” TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein told the Washington Times. “It is highly unusual. The number of items is what makes it highly unusual.”

According to the TSA, the man’s carry on included a hatchet, a folding saw, a fixed-blade knife, two folding knives, a utility knife, and three rope cutters.

Knife on Airplane – TSA Can Be Forgiving

“There is nothing typical about this,” Farbstein said. “Typically, if you were to show up with a knife, or you were to show up with one or two knives or something, you’d have a choice to run it back to your car, or put it in your checked baggage if it’s permissible.”

Maryland Transportation Authority Police charged the Illinois man with interference with security procedures and a violation of security regulations within the airport.

“[The man] explained that he had been on a camping trip and had not removed the items from his bag before a flight to Chicago Midway International Airport,” said Maryland Transportation Authority Police Lt. Kevin Ayd.

The man faces jail time not because of the blades but because he was also carrying ‘incendiary devices’: two smoke grenades and 12 bottle rockets – not permitted even in checked baggage.

Does the TSA see the man as a terrorist?
“It’s just somebody who didn’t think about what it was they were carrying.”

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