Boofhead,
I couldn't agree more :
Quote "I personally have no problem with any of these good gentlemen and gentleladies carrying weapons on board, and would offer to you that since this has been going on for many years already, and that this has not caused any problem to the general public nor has it constituted a safety problem, why get all hot and bothered about it?"
Crew carrying pocket knives & nailclippers, grandmothers with knitting-gear, or zillions of passengers who've taken 'tools' or objects on board that COULD have been made to use for a purpose it wasn't intended for in the first place - as a weapon - haven't caused any problem or constituted a safety problem either.
So why are governments, security, airlines making such a fuss about it now?
Because they have to do 'something'...that's why.
Are those extra security-measures going to prevent it from happening again in the future? No way... ANYONE with mal intent has ample of tools at his disposal to achieve his goals... Whether you be using a plastic knife to cut up your F/A, driving your jeep through your local kindergarten playground, or hitting your ex-wife's lover over the head with a bottle of whiskey at your local pub.
What's the police for? They usually keep an eye on things... They notice your light on your bike doesn't work and fine you for it, so you'll remember that being a safety-hazard doesn't pay off. Or they notice that there's some money missing from a bank and they go investigate & find the wrong-do-ers.
They are your every-day professional profilers ! Think you can get away with it? Not! There's always something 'unusual' you didn't think about or plainly forgot, and guess what? They notice!
Morale of the story: there will always be good and bad!
You can only hope for the good guys to notice what the bad guys are up to... in time!
O_B_S
PS: English isn't my mothertongue... so pardon my 'french' if i made any mistakes regarding grammar and spelling.