Washington ( CNN ) -- The former head of transportation security said Wednesday he supports a new policy allowing small knives on planes , but said it does not go far enough , and should include instruments such as `` battle axes ( and ) machetes . '' Sharp objects can no longer bring down aircraft , former Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley told CNN , and the search for knives interferes with the search for objects that can harm aircraft . `` In retrospect , I should have done the same thing , '' Hawley said of the rule , which allows passengers to board aircraft with certain small knives , as well as sports equipment such as ice hockey and lacrosse sticks . `` They ought to let everything on that is sharp and pointy . Battle axes , machetes ... bring anything you want that is pointy and sharp because while you may be able to commit an act of violence , you will not be able to take over the plane . It is as simple as that , '' he said . `` So my position would be , bravo on the 2.6 inch knife . But why not take it all the way and then really clean up the checkpoint where officers are focusing on bombs and toxins , which are things that can destroy an airplane . And it would smooth the process , cost less money , and be better security . '' Asked if he was using hyperbole in suggesting that battle axes be allowed on planes , Hawley said he was not . Air marshals , flight attendants want TSA to reconsider knife policy . `` I really believe it . What are you going to do when you get on board with a battle ax ? And you pull out your battle ax and say I 'm taking over the airplane . You may be able to cut one or two people , but pretty soon you would be down in the aisle and the battle ax would be used on you . '' And , he pointed out , `` You can commit acts of violence on an aircraft with what is allowed now . With a Coke can , a key , a ruler , and some duct tape , you can make a 12-inch razor-sharp sword . And every eighth-grader would be able to do that . '' Hawley headed the TSA from mid-2005 until early 2009 , during the George W. Bush administration . During his term , the agency loosened restrictions on some items -- such as cigarette lighters , matches and small scissors -- while imposing limits on liquids and gels because of the August 2006 liquid bomb scare . The TSA 's current administrator , John Pistole , was serving as deputy director of the FBI during the 2006 bomb scare , and has also cited the plot as a reason for the emphasis on bombs . `` If undetected , I believe there is a high likelihood the terrorists would have killed hundreds of people that day , '' Pistole says on the TSA blog . `` That 's why we limit the amount of liquids you can bring on a plane . '' Opinion : Is TSA serious about letting people carry knives ? Both Hawley and Pistole have embraced `` risk-based security , '' the concept that the government should use intelligence and best practices to focus on known threats and unknown people . The TSA has expanded its PreCheck program under Pistole , expediting travel for frequent fliers and others who provide information on themselves . Hawley and other security experts say a number of factors -- including strengthened cockpit doors , better intelligence and motivated passengers -- has changed the security equation on planes , removing avenues once open to terrorists . Hawley said he is sensitive to concerns by air marshals and flight attendants about the rule changes , noting that they `` would be the people upon whom the wounds would be inflicted . '' `` I do understand and respect their opposition , but from a security strategy point of view this is absolutely the right decision , '' he said of the knife rule . `` The air marshals and the flight attendants have legitimate concerns , certainly , for their own safety , but the threat of taking over a plane with a small , sharp instrument is zero , '' Hawley said . `` You can not necessarily prevent violence on an airplane , but that is not the TSA 's mission . TSA 's mission is to prevent a successful , catastrophic terrorist attack , and you can not get a successful , catastrophic terrorist attack with a small knife or a Wiffle ball bat . ''
Kip Hawley says sharp objects can no longer bring down aircraft . `` Clean up the checkpoint where officers are focusing on bombs and toxins , '' he says . The TSA has been criticized for its handling of a recent incident in which an explosive device was found at Los Angeles International Airport.