Other than the fact that it rules out thousands of perfectly good little pocket folders, can anyone come up with what the TSA might be thinking when it comes to their restrictions on:
1. Blade width (they mean height, from spine to cutting edge)
2. Locking mechanism
3. Contoured handle
I can understand the blade length limit, obviously.
#1 - But I can't understand what the height of a short stout blade like the Spyderco Squeak has to do with danger/safety. Isn't it physically easier to stab/puncture with a skinny narrow blade than a short stubby fat one?
#2 - And as far as a locking blade - can anyone imagine a scenario where a 2.36" blade with a spine lock is more deadly to a knife victim than a 2.36" non-locking blade? The only danger I see is to the user themselves if they're using the non-locking blade and have the blade close on their finger.
#3 - This one seems the most nonsensical. If a knife handle is shaped with slight grooves for your fingers to grip it, how is that more deadly or dangerous than a pill-shaped SAK handle?
I'm honestly trying to understand why these features are thought of as dangerous. Other than cosmetics, and safety to the actual knife user's hand, what differences do they make? It seems a little bit like the barrel shroud in the AWB debate.