Airport to auction thousands of confiscated knives, other sharp objects GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) =97 Travelers will get a chance to buy back=20 thousands of knives, scissors, corkscrews and nail clippers taken from them= =20 at security checkpoints at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Kent=20 County will hold a public auction sometime during the "next couple months"= =20 to sell off the airport's growing collection of sharp, confiscated objects,= =20 said Jon Denhof, county purchasing chief. After expenses associated with=20 the sale, the airport would keep any profits. Because of terrorism fears,=20 state law and federal security regulations prohibit passengers from=20 carrying sharp objects onto airplanes. The vast majority of confiscated=20 items at the Ford airport are knives, such as the Swiss Army knife and the= =20 Leatherman, an all-in-one tool with many uses. The U.S. Transportation=20 Security Administration, which inspects carryon bags, gives seized knives=20 to airport police. Officials regularly hear impassioned pleas from=20 travelers seeking the return of their knives after their trips. They cannot be given back. "There wouldn't be a deterrent factor," airport= =20 spokesman Bruce Schedlbauer told The Grand Rapids Press for a story=20 published Wednesday. "The responsibility lies with the traveler to ensure=20 they have carefully checked their bags. It shouldn't be a surprise that=20 these are considered weapons these days." An auction at least gives a=20 traveler an opportunity to get an item back, Denhof said. Rockford resident= =20 Tom Hines said he wants to recover a Swiss Army knife that was a Father's=20 Day gift from his children about three years ago. Bob Koroknay-Palicz=20 forgot that his small, multifunctional knife was in a carryon bag that he=20 took to the airport in February, and had to forfeit it. The Holland man=20 said he plans to buy back the knife at the auction, even though he could=20 easily replace it. "That wouldn't be the same," he said. "It's mine. I=20 don't want to lose mine." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week:http://www.ttsailing.org/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************