Originally Posted by
gsoltso
The problem is, the passenger voluntarily surrenders the item. TSA does not confiscate, the individual is supposed to give the passenger options with the prohibited items (with some limitations on things like WEI). The regulations for WEI have pretty much not changed since before I came to TSA , and the 3.4-1-1 rules have been around for many years as well. The rules on realistic replica items (that simulate WEI) have not changed since before I came to TSA. These are the things that people are given options on daily. These rules have been published and in place for more than a decade in many cases. When a passenger brings these items into the checkpoint, they are still afforded the opportunity to take the item and send it to themselves, put it in a vehicle, give it to a friend or find some other way to dispose of it - voluntarily surrendering the item to TSA is the last resort.
The passenger usually does have have
realistic options at the checkpoint. It's a choice between giving up the item or the flight--and the flight is almost always more expensive. That's not voluntary. Contrast that with what happened to me in China--I had a TSA-legal multi-tool, apparently they don't allow tools, period. They had mailers there, you could stick it in one, pay them cash and send it on it's way.
And while the rules have had very few changes the problem comes from the interpretation of the rules. We've had people on here who lost car keys because the key could extend from a base--looks sort of like a hidden knife. However, it's a car key, it's no greater a threat than any other car key. It's just a way of protecting one's pockets etc from the key.
Or consider the person on here who lost their medicine to TSA because it was "explosive". Nitroglycerin at heart-medicine doses couldn't blow up the bottle, let alone the airplane--not that you could actually make it detonate anyway.
And complaining is just asking for retaliation, we know it's not going to do any good.