Mongo
09-20-2001, 12:32
With the recent tragedy an airport checkpoint incident I had came to my mind. I always carry a kubotan as a keyring. This particular incident (in Houston's Bush Intercontinental), I was going to pick up my then girlfriend from the terminal, pulled my keys to go through the checkpoint, cleared but was told that my keychain is an illegal weapon and I was not allowed past the checkpoint with it. Now, seeing as I was just picking her up I said OK, keep it then, I'll be back for it but before that happend they had supervisors, etc, etc...standing there discussing if this was a weapon or not.
I have been in the martial arts for about 16 years and hold a few black belts and have attended several specialized seminars. I took the Kubotan trainer certification course from Tak Kubota, inventor of the Kubotan, along with various law enforcement personnel. At that time, we were told that a plastic kubotan is not considered a weapon, it is considered a key chain.....but if this key chain is metal, wood, or has any extra parts (tonfa stick, pen knife, pointy edges) it is considered a weapon.
Does anyone know for real? And if it is a weapon couldn't I just take my keys off of it and keep the plastic on me to go through the checkpoint then put it back together once passed? To me it doesn't make sense, but maybe the airport security just didn't know what the hey they were talking about? (Imagine that).
I have been in the martial arts for about 16 years and hold a few black belts and have attended several specialized seminars. I took the Kubotan trainer certification course from Tak Kubota, inventor of the Kubotan, along with various law enforcement personnel. At that time, we were told that a plastic kubotan is not considered a weapon, it is considered a key chain.....but if this key chain is metal, wood, or has any extra parts (tonfa stick, pen knife, pointy edges) it is considered a weapon.
Does anyone know for real? And if it is a weapon couldn't I just take my keys off of it and keep the plastic on me to go through the checkpoint then put it back together once passed? To me it doesn't make sense, but maybe the airport security just didn't know what the hey they were talking about? (Imagine that).