The Transportation Safety Administration is loosening restrictions on what airline passengers can carry onboard. Some knives have been approved, and many are concerned about it.
Pennsylvania receives various items surrendered by airline travelers at TSA security check points.
In one wing of a warehouse, carry-on items confiscated from passengers at airports in the Mid-Atlantic states are stored. Some are packaged by the State Department of General Services for sale on an online auction, others are destroyed.
On April 25th, the rules for flying with knives is expected to change. However, many knives will still be prohibited because of the design.
Baseball bats, bows and arrows, crickett bats and golf clubs, pool cues and spears will also be prohibited.
Multi-tool knives with small blades, corkscrews, and fingernail clippers will now be allowed on board. Troy Thompson with the Department of General Services says these types will be allowed on because they're smaller. "These types of knives, like your swiss army knives, whether they have multiple blades or not, they have the smaller blades that don't lock. They're not bigger than 2.63 inches."
The state of Pennsylvania destroys or sells tons of knives a year. The money received is how the state pays the cost of operating the program.
Items that are not destroyed are sold by the Department of General Services in Harrisburg. TSA collected materials can be viewed at a warehouse in the 2200 block of Forrester Street.
To view items for auction, click here: www.govdeals.com