Germantown, MD – The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a national Sikh American civil rights advocacy group, advises all Sikhs traveling on a commercial aircraft in the United States that the carrying of a kirpan on the individual’s person or carry-on luggage is prohibited by law. The applicable federal regulation states: ” . . . no aircraft operator may permit any person to have a deadly or dangerous weapon, on or about the individual’s person or accessible property when onboard an aircraft.” 14 C.F.R. § 108.201(e) A kirpan, regardless of the size or sharpness of the blade, will be viewed by airport security authorities as a dangerous weapon. Therefore, any person wishing to transport a kirpan in the course of their air travel should place it in their check-in luggage. Small kirpan lockets are less likely to be classified as a weapon, but the airport authorities are granted the discretion to make this determination at the time of inspection. This being the case, Amritdhari Sikhs should be prepared to check in kirpan lockets as well, if requested to do so. Contact SMART to file a report if you were prevented from wearing your 5 K’s other than a kirpan, for reasons stated above.
