There absolutely was an epidemic of hijackings, in the 1970s. Then new laws were put in place banning weapons from planes. That's the system that was in place

There absolutely was an epidemic of hijackings, in the 1970s. Then new laws were put in place banning weapons from planes. That's the system that was in place up until 9/11, and it was run by private airport security. The TSA was a response to that. But it wasn't the only conceivable response. Changes to private security screening rules would have been another option. The TSA isn't just there in a vacuum. And if people who try to sneak items past it can succeed, then its mandate isn't very effective. Part of why another 9/11 hasn't happened is that terrrorists know that people know that hijackings can be very deadly. So people wouldn't be so passive anymore. The 9/11 hijacking was done with box cutters. That feat couldn't be repeated again, even with box cutters on the plane. https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-egyptair https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-e...