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Senators Overwhelmingly Pass Pilot Gun Bill
Josey1
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Senators Overwhelmingly Pass Pilot Gun Bill
September 05, 2002 07:39 PM ET
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By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate overwhelmingly backed a measure on Thursday that would arm airline pilots on a voluntary basis in a dramatic security step aimed at preventing a repeat of last year's Sept. 11 attacks.
Gun control advocates from the Democratic party joined conservative Republicans in passing the measure 87-6, leading supporters to declare they had the momentum to overcome the remaining hurdles to making the plan law.
A similar bill already has passed the House of Representatives by a wide margin, and while the Bush administration does not like the idea it said on Thursday it would implement such a plan if Congress passes one.
"This is a package that will make our skies safer," declared Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill along with Sen. Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican.
Allowing qualified pilots to carry guns in the cockpit would give them the "means to mount an effective last-ditch effort against terrorism and hijackers," Boxer said.
"This is not a cowboy idea," Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, another co-sponsor, said at a news conference outside the Capitol before the debate.
"Those who want them and can use them and understand them should have the right to carry weapons," Burns said. "I never got a lot done using a broomstick. You've got to have something that's lethal."
In the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York, four commercial airliners were commandeered by hijackers with knives who stormed the cockpits and took control of the planes.
ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT WILL WORK WITH CONGRESS
The Senate measure was approved as an amendment to a bill creating President Bush's Homeland Security Department. But that legislation that may not come up for a final vote for several weeks.
Then, assuming the Homeland Security bill passes, House and Senate negotiators would need to work out the differences in the guns-in-the-cockpit measures before sending a final version to Bush with the request he sign it into law.
Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill also would provide self-defense training for flight attendants. Several dozen of them rallied outside the Capitol Thursday to back the measure.
The Bush administration had been flatly opposed to arming pilots, but on the eve of Thursday's debate it signaled that it would consider arming a limited number of pilots.
As Thursday's debate was underway, transportation officials released a letter outlining all the complications with arming pilots, but said the administration was willing to work with Congress to implement such a plan if it became law.
James Loy, director of the Transportation Security Administration, said it would cost the government up to $900 million to establish the program to train about 85,000 pilots in weapons use.
He said pilots, not airline crews, would have to keep and maintain weapons and transport them in lockboxes. Each cockpit would be equipped with special sleeves to hold the weapons.
Boxer said Loy's letter "didn't lose us one vote."
One of the bill's chief critics, Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat, agreed to vote for the measure after sponsors agreed to include a provision requiring cockpit doors to be secured and locked during flight.
Boxer said she knew people were surprised at her support for the bill, since she was an advocate of gun control.
"This isn't about guns in the hands of criminals. This is about a trained pilot, who volunteers, most of whom have training in the military," Boxer said.
Al Aitken of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, said supporters were grateful to lawmakers and said the large margin of victory in both houses reflected the sentiments of thousands of airline pilots who believe in lethal force as a last line of defense.
"From the legislative standpoint it is pretty compelling and makes it a lot easier to get a meaningful bill passed through the conference committee," Aitken said. "We will be continuing to ask the president to support this and sign it into law when it gets to his desk."
http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=politicsnews&StoryID=1416747
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
September 05, 2002 07:39 PM ET
Email this article Printer friendly version Purchase for Reprint
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate overwhelmingly backed a measure on Thursday that would arm airline pilots on a voluntary basis in a dramatic security step aimed at preventing a repeat of last year's Sept. 11 attacks.
Gun control advocates from the Democratic party joined conservative Republicans in passing the measure 87-6, leading supporters to declare they had the momentum to overcome the remaining hurdles to making the plan law.
A similar bill already has passed the House of Representatives by a wide margin, and while the Bush administration does not like the idea it said on Thursday it would implement such a plan if Congress passes one.
"This is a package that will make our skies safer," declared Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill along with Sen. Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican.
Allowing qualified pilots to carry guns in the cockpit would give them the "means to mount an effective last-ditch effort against terrorism and hijackers," Boxer said.
"This is not a cowboy idea," Montana Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, another co-sponsor, said at a news conference outside the Capitol before the debate.
"Those who want them and can use them and understand them should have the right to carry weapons," Burns said. "I never got a lot done using a broomstick. You've got to have something that's lethal."
In the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York, four commercial airliners were commandeered by hijackers with knives who stormed the cockpits and took control of the planes.
ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT WILL WORK WITH CONGRESS
The Senate measure was approved as an amendment to a bill creating President Bush's Homeland Security Department. But that legislation that may not come up for a final vote for several weeks.
Then, assuming the Homeland Security bill passes, House and Senate negotiators would need to work out the differences in the guns-in-the-cockpit measures before sending a final version to Bush with the request he sign it into law.
Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill also would provide self-defense training for flight attendants. Several dozen of them rallied outside the Capitol Thursday to back the measure.
The Bush administration had been flatly opposed to arming pilots, but on the eve of Thursday's debate it signaled that it would consider arming a limited number of pilots.
As Thursday's debate was underway, transportation officials released a letter outlining all the complications with arming pilots, but said the administration was willing to work with Congress to implement such a plan if it became law.
James Loy, director of the Transportation Security Administration, said it would cost the government up to $900 million to establish the program to train about 85,000 pilots in weapons use.
He said pilots, not airline crews, would have to keep and maintain weapons and transport them in lockboxes. Each cockpit would be equipped with special sleeves to hold the weapons.
Boxer said Loy's letter "didn't lose us one vote."
One of the bill's chief critics, Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat, agreed to vote for the measure after sponsors agreed to include a provision requiring cockpit doors to be secured and locked during flight.
Boxer said she knew people were surprised at her support for the bill, since she was an advocate of gun control.
"This isn't about guns in the hands of criminals. This is about a trained pilot, who volunteers, most of whom have training in the military," Boxer said.
Al Aitken of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, said supporters were grateful to lawmakers and said the large margin of victory in both houses reflected the sentiments of thousands of airline pilots who believe in lethal force as a last line of defense.
"From the legislative standpoint it is pretty compelling and makes it a lot easier to get a meaningful bill passed through the conference committee," Aitken said. "We will be continuing to ask the president to support this and sign it into law when it gets to his desk."
http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=politicsnews&StoryID=1416747
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
Thursday, September 05, 2002
WASHINGTON - The federal government on Thursday announced flight restrictions coinciding with public ceremonies at the three Sept. 11 crash sites.
The temporary rules are less stringent than those presented to the aviation industry last week. That proposal would have banned internationally owned commercial airlines from flying over the sites on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
"Our concerns with the initial proposal were that the foreign airlines were discriminated against," said Wanda Warner, spokeswoman for the International Air Transport Association, which represents U.S. and foreign-owned airlines. "The revised program does not do that."
While restrictions on flight patterns for all commercial aircraft could cause some delays on Sept. 11, "it's certainly better than the operating ban," she said.
International agreements governing landing rights specify that foreign airlines not be discriminated against.
The new rules limit flying below 18,000 feet within a 34.5-mile radius of the event sites. Passengers on commercial airlines will be required to remain seated for 30 minutes after takeoff and 30 minutes before landing in the three areas.
Private flight will be banned or in some cases limited to aircraft operating under instrument flight rules. Sightseeing and training flights will be prohibited.
In New York, the restrictions will be in effect from 7 a.m. EDT on Sept. 11 until 8 p.m. on September 13. Private planes will be banned shortly before, during and after public outdoor events on all three days.
In Washington, the restrictions will be in effect from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Sept. 11. Flights will be banned over a ceremony at the Pentagon.
In Somerset County, Pa., flights will be banned over and near the outdoor ceremony on Sept. 11.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62201,00.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Senate OKs Arming Airline Pilots
Thu Sep 5, 7:08 PM ET
By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow commercial pilots to carry weapons in the cockpit after the Bush administration dropped its opposition to the idea.
AP Photo
AP Photo
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The administration, though, said a number of safety and logistical issues needed to be resolved.
In a letter to two senators, the White House recommended giving pilots lockboxes for the weapons so they won't be left in the cockpit. It also said only pilots who volunteer to carry weapons and receive extensive training should be armed.
Al Aitken, a pilot speaking for the 14,500-member union representing American Airlines pilots, which supports arming pilots, said the 87-6 vote meant the Senate recognized that all the security layers the administration is putting into place are still inadequate.
"The people who need the weapons as a last line of defense are the pilots," he said. "They're the only ones they're trying to keep the gun from," he said, adding that thousands of state and federal law enforcement officers travel on planes while armed.
The heads of 21 airlines, which oppose the measure, sent a letter to each senator Thursday saying they wanted to discuss the idea of arming pilots with Congress and the administration.
"It must be noted, however, that while we are spending literally billions of dollars to keep dangerous weapons off of aircraft, the idea of intentionally introducing thousands of deadly weapons in to the system appears to be dangerously counterproductive," the letter said.
To address some of the airlines' concerns, the administration suggested a "detailed, effective" training program be designed from scratch and tested before an estimated 85,000 pilots are allowed to carry weapons.
The administration also warned the cost would be significant - $900 million to start and $250 million annually thereafter - and said there is no money now in the Transportation Security Administration budget to cover the expenses.
The letter from Transportation Security Administration chief James Loy was delivered to Sens. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz., as the Senate debated the measure that would allow all pilots to carry guns into the cockpit. Hollings is chairman of the Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee; McCain is the committee's ranking Republican.
"If there is to be responsible legislation establishing a program to allow guns in the cockpit, it must address the numerous safety, security, cost and operational issues," Loy wrote.
Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., offered the amendment to the homeland security bill that would prohibit airlines and the federal government from barring armed pilots.
"We prefer a more comprehensive approach in our amendment, but are grateful for any efforts by the administration to roll the ball down the field," said Smith's spokeswoman, Lisa Harrison.
The chairman of the House Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee, Rep. John Mica ( news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., said pilots should be armed at least until bulletproof cockpit doors are installed in all planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration ( news - web sites) said Thursday that manufacturers and airlines agree an April 9 deadline to install the new doors can be met.
Mica said the administration realized that the momentum in Congress favoring arming pilots is strong. A bill to create a program that would train and arm some pilots passed the House 310-113 in July.
Transportation Undersecretary John Magaw, who headed the TSA until July, said in May he would not allow pilots to carry guns. Reinforced cockpits and armed air marshals provide enough protection against terrorists who try to take over an airplane, Magaw said.
After Magaw's departure, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta ( news - web sites) said he would re-examine the issue.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&ncid=718&e=4&u=/ap/20020905/ap_on_go_pr_wh/arming_pilots
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
called 'bad joke'
Aviators' group pushes for Senate vote to allow firearms in cockpits
Posted: September 5, 2002
5:00 p.m. Eastern
By Jon Dougherty
c 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
A commercial pilots' group that strongly supports allowing flight crews to carry firearms has criticized a White House plan to arm only a small number of fliers and instead wants lawmakers to pass legislation authorizing guns in cockpits.
"The White House proposal to arm about 1 percent of our nation's airline pilots on a trial basis is a joke, but it's a very bad joke considering the approaching anniversary of the 9-11 attacks," said Capt. Tracy Price, chairman of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance, or APSA, in a statement today.
Price and other supporters of arming pilots were responding to the Bush administration's reversal yesterday of its earlier decision not to back guns for pilots over fear that allowing pilots to carry firearms would flood airports with guns at a time when airport security is being tightened due to potential terrorist attacks.
The administration said it would likely back a plan introduced by lawmakers this summer that calls for arming 1-2 percent of pilots - or about 1,400 of them - in a trial program that would last up to two years.
Under provisions of the plan, at the end of the trial the head of the Transportation Security Administration - now headed by James Loy - would decide whether to end the program, expand it or continue it in its present form.
But Price and other supporters of the issue have called the plan inadequate, advising that the small number of pilots would not be enough to seriously discourage potential terrorist hijackers. And they say the slow pace of adding more air marshals to the federal ranks means arming pilots is imperative.
Also, APSA and other pilots' groups have said it would be cheaper for the government to authorize and train pilots to carry guns rather than hire and train tens of thousands of new air marshals.
Legislation approved by the House in July would mandate that pilots be allowed to carry arms, taking the decision away from federal bureaucrats. Price said his organization is supporting a similar measure in the Senate that could come up for a vote today.
"The White House appears to be trying to offer this program as a means of reducing the strong momentum for passing a real armed-pilot bill in the Senate," Price said. "The proposal for a small 'test program' is completely unacceptable now, just as it was when it was floated in the House . . . last summer."
The Senate version (S. 2554), authored by Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., has bipartisan backing.
"We call upon the Senate to follow the bipartisan lead of senators like Bob Smith, Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and pass a strong bill to arm pilots and get it to the president's desk for his signature prior to Sept. 11," Price said.
The APSA official praised Smith and Boxer for "valiant efforts" to get the bill to the floor, possibly as an amendment to legislation that would create a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, currently under debate in the chamber.
"While APSA is pleased to see that the White House now acknowledges that pilots must be armed with firearms," said the group's statement, "we find their proposed program to be completely inadequate."
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28846
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
And our pro gun president offers a compromise of allowing 1 percent of pilots to be armed. And the NRA continues to avoid exposing George Bush as the anti gunner that he is.
"Sometimes the people have to give up some individual rights for the safety of society."
-Bill Clinton(MTV interview)