What the "Shank"?

"Sir, whose Chrome bag is that?" Mine I replied. "Is that a shank in your bag?"

This was the conversation that I had with TSA while trying to fly out of Chicago Midway last Thursday. It was a long week that included packing my bags for two different trips at 2am. After CO, I got back to Omaha on Monday evening, went to work, ate, and packed at 2am for a flight the very next day. So what is this shank that you ask about TSA officer? I had left my folding utility knife in the bottom of my Chrome bag. I carry it when I bike and had it with me to cut some electrical tape for stabilizing my GoPro to my snowboard in CO.

I walked through security and waited as they scanned my bag. Is that a shank in your bag? What are you talking about? A knife, a shank. Ummm...no. Not that I know of. "Bag search!" the lady yelled. The guy came over and was super cool. Went through my bag, couldn't find anything. Told him there is a velcroed compartment in my Chrome bag. At this time, I'm wondering if one of my cousins threw a knife in my bag as a joke. A mean joke. Or if someone had slipped a knife into my bag at the airport. The guy reaches in and pulls out my knife. I'm like oh! My knife! I had accidentally left it in the bag from the CO trip. What do you have the knife in your bag for? I told him that I was in CO the weekend before and out hunting. Only thing I could think of at the time.

So at this time, I'm expecting security to tackle me. Or handcuffs, maybe the pat down or something. NOPE! He hands it to me and tells me to check it in downstairs with my bag. Whew, I thought he was going to confiscate my knife! Asks me what we could have been hunting in CO at this time of the year. I couldn't think of anything. He laughs, says guy stuff, right? I said yeah and we laugh.

We keep talking and I mentioned that I went through TSA at Omaha Eppley no problem. He says well they must be much more lax than us, and we are not Omaha. I said yeah, thanks for doing your job. I checked my knife and my bag and proceeded back through security. The girl checking my ID joked, I said I had to check in my bag. She said, "I bet that you forgot that you had fluids in your bag. Am I right?" I said yeah, something like that. I just smiled and continued on.

All was fine and dandy. But it brought up the question in my mind. How could my knife make it through TSA security in Omaha. Metal handle, metal blade. My "shank" has a 3 inch blade on it. Surely they would have caught that?