Curious pax, Julian, who's talking about arming passengers? We're not talking about hoisting guns and daggers on unsuspecting passengers and crews, just allowing people to retain household implements that anyone might reasonably be carrying around on a day-to-day basis. Nail clippers, for instance. Bit of an over-reaction removing those, just possibly?
A colleague had a penknife removed from his flight bag going through security just minutes before being approached on the flight deck by a despatcher bearing an envelope containing five similar "offensive weapons" for safe-keeping on the flight deck for the duration of the flight.
As we're reminded above, flying is a "bloody serious business". There's no room any more for humour, or attempted humour, a smile, a giggle, a laugh, a titter, or a joke with an official within ten miles of any airport in the world. Just sad people everywhere going around with the weight of the world on their shoulders, scowling and casting suspicious glances at their fellow travellers. Heavy hearted, humourless souls. Pilots locked away in reinforced flight decks. Fear everywhere.
So we're all agreed. The terrorists have won.