Airport Security taking Picks???

[Steve24]

Has anyone had their picks taken out of their checked bag in the airport? I admit it probably wasn't the smartest idea to bring them on a plane period but still. and i had no paper saying my bag had been searched? Anyone with similar experiences?

And now that I'm talking of airport security, has anyone had picks on them when they tried to go though the actual personal security scanners? I know it shouldn't be attempted but just curious if anyone has forgotten about them and have some stories to tell? Are their laws about taking picks on planes in states where it is legal to carry the picks?

[Dak]

This isnt necassarily the airport, but the country courthouse is close enough right?

Anyway my brother had to go in for some traffic thing and there were metal detectors outside the actual court area. I didnt think anything of it until I walked through. I had my lockpicks in my pocket. They are always there so I often forget about them. ANYWAY it beeps and I empty my pockets and they come to the picks... They stop me and have me go have a chat with the security guard. Picks aren't illegal here, but they still thought I was up to no good. I ended spending half an hour with the guards explaining that it was a hobby and I have a clean record.

I got to keep the picks in the end. bad deal though.

[JK_the_CJer]

These days I UPS my tools. This summer, on every flight I was hassled about the locks I had in my carryon and asked if I was carrying picks. I also don't trust the rainbow of individuals that have access your checked luggage (I don't check bags anymore either). This is one of those things where it doesn't really matter if its legal or not. The overpaid moron that is riffling through your stuff in the name of "homeland security" is going to steal/confiscate/etc.. whatever he/she wants regardless of the actual laws/regs. And due to the sensitive nature of the tools we enjoy there isn't a thing you or I can do about it. We can only carry documentation that convinces these goons (no offense, Defcon) to their personal satistfaction that we are professionals. If I open locks for money, its legit. However, if I open locks for nothing but personal satisfaction or even a desire to improve security for all; I'm a criminal/terrorist. I am a lockpicker and this is my manifesto!

PS: Just mail them

[op-sec]

I went through TSA 5 times in one weekend in August with my picks either in my pockets (until I put them into the bin) or in my laptop bag. They never asked me once about my picks. They did open my laptop bag to look at the three padlocks I was carrying with me though. (A #930, a Brinks shrouded and a Brinks Kw1 keyway padlock.)

They never said "boo" about my picks though.

Under the "Tools" heading at
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... items.shtm

Code: Select all

Tools (greater than seven inches in length)
Carry-on = no
Checked = yes

Tools (seven inches or less in length)
Carry-on = yes
Checked = yes

Screwdrivers (seven inches or less in length)
Carry-on = yes
Checked = yes

Wrenches and Pliers (seven inches or less in length)
Carry-on = yes
Checked = yes



It is all about the attitude though. The TSA agents (or at least the one with a high-school+ education) is trained to spot body language indicative of someone who intends to do something "wrong"... If you *THINK* what you are doing is "wrong" (IE; carrying your picks as carry-on) your body is going to send signals that are readily visible to the trained eye. They are going to single you out and you will face much tighter scrutiny than say... ME... The guy who knows he's done and is currently doing nothing wrong and knows he's simply carrying his tools with him and checking NO bags at all because he wants them to show up at the same airport as him at the same time he does.

I get a kick out of the folks who go all out to try to "sneak" things past TSA... That is a very good way to get a free prostate exam without any lubricant. Reason: If you're trying to sneak innocuous tools that are NOT restricted through TSA, what are you hiding up your pooper?

Know the rules - follow the rules... You'll get along fine. If you have that "guilty" look no matter what you do and you think you're going to be hassled, print out a copy of the TSA guidelines I linked above and highlight the "Tools" section and carry that with you, along with your picks. Don't be a jerk about it when you show it to them. Simply tell them that you went to the TSA website to make sure that your "tools" were permitted as carry-on and that based on their guidelines, they are permitted. If you're a jerk about it and cop an attitude, you're going to be one of the lucky ones who gets the "behind the scenes" tour from some jock who flunked out of 9th grade study hall and he's going to make your life a living hell until his supervisor calls him off.

Have fun!

[le.nutzman]

Has anyone had their picks taken out of their checked bag in the airport? I admit it probably wasn't the smartest idea to bring them on a plane period but still. and i had no paper saying my bag had been searched? Anyone with similar experiences?

And now that I'm talking of airport security, has anyone had picks on them when they tried to go though the actual personal security scanners? I know it shouldn't be attempted but just curious if anyone has forgotten about them and have some stories to tell? Are their laws about taking picks on planes in states where it is legal to carry the picks?

I've flown pretty regularly in the past year, each time my picks have been in my check baggage along with a myrid array of cut practice padlocks. The one time i was stopped and asked about them, I told them straight out that it was a hobby of mine. Other than that, I tell them most of the time at the counter that I'm carrying the picks in my check luggage and that i'm a hobbyist. I think being upfront and honest about it before they even get a chance to say anything really is what's kept my picks from being taken. It'll be a sad day for me when they finally do take them for whatever reason, my picks total just around a grand considering all the picks I carry from their various sources.

[op-sec]

There is no way I would check my picks with my luggage and I don't have anywhere near as much invested in them. They go with me - as carry-on...

[raimundo]

If you can make a credible set of picks from materials available at your destination, (bristles, files, pliers, sandpaper, etc) then there is no reason to carry them on the plane. I can usually create a good set of bogotas in a short time if these tools and a small workspace is available.

[Dak]

are you honestly willing to do that on every single trip as opposed to the convenience of just having them in the first place?

[Steve24]

Yea, I'm not to keen on hitting the grinder on vacation.

[zeke79]

are you honestly willing to do that on every single trip as opposed to the convenience of just having them in the first place?

Rai can make a set of picks superior to any commercial pick with just street sweeper bristles, a set of chop sticks, some fine sand paper and a small file set. Seriously..... Every set of tools I have ever got from Rai apart from proto's we worked a bit on were spot on and of more than outstanding quality.

[Dak]

are you honestly willing to do that on every single trip as opposed to the convenience of just having them in the first place?

Rai can make a set of picks superior to any commercial pick with just street sweeper bristles, a set of chop sticks, some fine sand paper and a small file set. Seriously..... Every set of tools I have ever got from Rai apart from proto's we worked a bit on were spot on and of more than outstanding quality.

but is it more convenient then just being able to carry your standard opertaional picks with you?

[smokehouse]

I too have had run-ins with the TSA. Ohare International Airport is a "my account" for the company I work for, and until I obtained the ID needed for the access control system I too was greeted with strange reactions from the dropouts we entrust our airport security to. Nevermind the hammers, utility knives, and other tools in my bag-there's something about the sight of lockpicks that gets their attention.

[Legion303]

but is it more convenient then just being able to carry your standard opertaional picks with you?

It might be more convenient than the free prostate exam you could get with some of these TSA cowboys.

-steve

[poor paperclip picker]

I have never tried taking my picks on carry on, but this past summer when I flew to colorado and back I had my picks in my checked luggage, and nothing happened to them. I didnt have them just sitting on top of everything though, so I guess if they did find them they might be suspicious, but at that time I didnt have a pick case for them, so I had them in a dvd box so they wouldnt get ruined. On the way back from colorado, I had a home made pick case I made while working out of duct tape. (its not too bad actually ill try to post pictures some time, and it was very easy to make) but anyway I had the picks in my pick case coming back from denver, and they were just layin in my suit case and I still got them.

so moral of my story...I dont know, its just my expirience.

[jgor]

This isnt necassarily the airport, but the country courthouse is close enough right?

Anyway my brother had to go in for some traffic thing and there were metal detectors outside the actual court area. I didnt think anything of it until I walked through. I had my lockpicks in my pocket. They are always there so I often forget about them. ANYWAY it beeps and I empty my pockets and they come to the picks... They stop me and have me go have a chat with the security guard. Picks aren't illegal here, but they still thought I was up to no good. I ended spending half an hour with the guards explaining that it was a hobby and I have a clean record.

I got to keep the picks in the end. bad deal though.

I had to go to the courthouse for something earlier this year, and as always I had a folding pickset on my keychain. When I went through the metal detector and emptied my pockets, the guard noticed it and immediately asked if it was a pocket knife. I told him no, it's a lockpick tool, and he waved me through without another word. Needless to say I was relieved, but it surprised me how smoothly it went. I guess some areas are just more paranoid than others.