I travel with small scissors in my carry-on all the time. Except for this year, annually over 100K miles domestic USA. Blades less than 4-inches pivot to tip is the TSA rule (3.5 is what I carry, just to be sure don't run into any stretchy rulers). Only once has any TSA agent even pulled them out to look at them.

TSA rules would also seem to cover small pliers: Tools 7 inches or shorter (measured from end to end when assembled) are allowed in carry-on baggage.

Just curious -- has anybody been pulling out musical instruments during the snowpocalypse?

We did not have an actual snowcalypse in my neck of the woods. It was more like a thin coat of snow.
I still played my instruments. It´s fun and good for the mood.
I have a few blues harps in reach on my desk. The guitar and the banjo are less than 6 feet away.

Thread bump.

Anybody strummin', blowin', drummin' after we survived Covid etc.?

Maybe psychological experts can understand this, but really music irritates me. Instead, I may relax better listening to "natural" sounds like seashore waves or rain ..etc.

The thing is, not so much what my taste or other people taste. I think a survival situation is a bad time for experimenting. And is a group of people are squeezed together is SHTF-like conditions, any elements introduced in the equation may add negative consequences.

A few weeks ago, I was facing multiple bad situations, in addition to some remaining symptoms of bad flu and other health issues, and trying to manage construction/rennovation projects around the house with one stubborn bulldozer-headed worker refusing to cooperate with another worker.

All in all, I guess it was showing on me that I was depressed and stressed. I went to a food store to buy sandwiches and other foods for the workers. Their chief cook always tries to be funny. So that day, he tries to cheer me up repeating his half/joking suggestion that I marry a young wife and that would change my spirit.

I know he is trying to do marketing for his business, but I hated his attempt. Just couln't wait there as he prepared my order. So I told him I am going to next store and come back

Morale of the story.
People can be in messy moods. And "the usual" may become counter-peroductive.