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BATF/Waco Magaw's Refusal to Arm Pilots No Surpris
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
BATF/Waco Magaw's Refusal to Arm Pilots No Surprise
FROM:
Oregon Firearms Federation
P.O. Box 556
Canby, OR 97013
Voice: (503) 263-5830
Fax: (503) 263-3708
http://www.oregonfirearms.org
Shooters@OregonFirearms.org
OFF ALERT, May 21, 2002
Today, the "gun friendly" Bush administration announced that it will not allow pilots to have firearms in their cockpits to protect passengers and aircraft.
John Magaw, an undersecretary with the Department of Transportation made the announcement in testimony before a Senate committee.
While an outrage, this comes as no surprise. Magaw is the former head of the BATF.
The overwhelming majority of Americans support allowing pilots to be armed, but today the Bush administration decided that permitting pilots to have guns was "too dangerous." They have, however, not rescinded their willingness to blow airplanes full of Americans out of the sky using fighter jets. Apparently they consider that option less dangerous.
Magaw cited his experience in "law enforcement" while explaining that he would prohibit pilots from having the ability to defend their aircraft. If the history of the BATF is any indication and Magaw is now in a position of power at the Transportation Department it would be wise to carefully consider staying away from airplanes at least until the next election.
This is not over however. In the House, Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and John Mica (R-FL) are the sponsors of H.R. 4635, a bill to allow pilots to be armed. Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) is expected to introduce a companion bill in the Senate sometime this week.
Please contact your Representatives and urge them to reverse an insane policy that trusts pilots with a airplane filled with passengers but not with a firearm. Please remind them that all locked cabin doors will guarantee is a plane full or dead passengers.
You can call your Representative at 202-225-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
To find your House Rep, please use the GOA Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
You can contact Senators Wyden and Smith at the following addresses:
Senator Smith
http://gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm or
http://www.elsenadorgordonsmith.com/Spanish/
Washington, DC Office 404
Russell Building Washington, DC 20510-3704
Phone: (202)224-3753
Fax:(202)228-3997
Senator Wyden
http://wyden.senate.gov/mail.htm
WASHINGTON, DC
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5244
Sample text follows:
Dear Senator/ Representative,
I strongly urge your support of legislation to permit airline pilots to be armed.
It is the height of lunacy to trust these men and women with an airplane and then suggest they cannot be trusted with a firearm. Please don't believe the lies about cabin "depressurization" and other myths. If they were true then the only sensible response would be to disarm sky marshals.
The events of Sept. 11 illustrate the dangers faced by unarmed Americans when confronted with murderous terrorists. Please do all you can to see that this legislation is enacted and signed by the President.
Very truly yours,
Want to support the Oregon Firearms Federation while simultaneously making a political and fashion statement?
Order an OFF tee shirt. You'll be helping OFF fight for your rights and demonstrating your sartorial savvy. Go to our secure site to order.
http://oregonfirearms.org/store/index.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
FROM:
Oregon Firearms Federation
P.O. Box 556
Canby, OR 97013
Voice: (503) 263-5830
Fax: (503) 263-3708
http://www.oregonfirearms.org
Shooters@OregonFirearms.org
OFF ALERT, May 21, 2002
Today, the "gun friendly" Bush administration announced that it will not allow pilots to have firearms in their cockpits to protect passengers and aircraft.
John Magaw, an undersecretary with the Department of Transportation made the announcement in testimony before a Senate committee.
While an outrage, this comes as no surprise. Magaw is the former head of the BATF.
The overwhelming majority of Americans support allowing pilots to be armed, but today the Bush administration decided that permitting pilots to have guns was "too dangerous." They have, however, not rescinded their willingness to blow airplanes full of Americans out of the sky using fighter jets. Apparently they consider that option less dangerous.
Magaw cited his experience in "law enforcement" while explaining that he would prohibit pilots from having the ability to defend their aircraft. If the history of the BATF is any indication and Magaw is now in a position of power at the Transportation Department it would be wise to carefully consider staying away from airplanes at least until the next election.
This is not over however. In the House, Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and John Mica (R-FL) are the sponsors of H.R. 4635, a bill to allow pilots to be armed. Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) is expected to introduce a companion bill in the Senate sometime this week.
Please contact your Representatives and urge them to reverse an insane policy that trusts pilots with a airplane filled with passengers but not with a firearm. Please remind them that all locked cabin doors will guarantee is a plane full or dead passengers.
You can call your Representative at 202-225-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
To find your House Rep, please use the GOA Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
You can contact Senators Wyden and Smith at the following addresses:
Senator Smith
http://gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm or
http://www.elsenadorgordonsmith.com/Spanish/
Washington, DC Office 404
Russell Building Washington, DC 20510-3704
Phone: (202)224-3753
Fax:(202)228-3997
Senator Wyden
http://wyden.senate.gov/mail.htm
WASHINGTON, DC
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5244
Sample text follows:
Dear Senator/ Representative,
I strongly urge your support of legislation to permit airline pilots to be armed.
It is the height of lunacy to trust these men and women with an airplane and then suggest they cannot be trusted with a firearm. Please don't believe the lies about cabin "depressurization" and other myths. If they were true then the only sensible response would be to disarm sky marshals.
The events of Sept. 11 illustrate the dangers faced by unarmed Americans when confronted with murderous terrorists. Please do all you can to see that this legislation is enacted and signed by the President.
Very truly yours,
Want to support the Oregon Firearms Federation while simultaneously making a political and fashion statement?
Order an OFF tee shirt. You'll be helping OFF fight for your rights and demonstrating your sartorial savvy. Go to our secure site to order.
http://oregonfirearms.org/store/index.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
Comments
PRESS RELEASE
May 21, 2002
Earlier today, Undersecretary John Magaw of the TSA announced the decision to ignore the will of the Congress and the American People by refusing to allow airline pilots to carry firearms on the flight deck. This indefensible decision will mean that, until Congress is able to act, airline pilots will be easy pickings for teams of suicidal terrorists that would use airliners as guided bombs.
APSA Chairman Capt. Tracy W. Price said, "Airline pilots across this country are dumfounded. Al Queda is surely laughing at our lack of moral certainty and strength and terrorist organizations all over the world have been sent the clear message that it is still open season on airliners and large buildings. On one hand, the administration is telling us that more attacks are eminent, but on the other hand, they refuse to allow us to defend our passengers and crew against the promised attacks."
Price continued, "The administration caved to intense lobbying from the Air Transport Association (ATA). Airline managements are afraid of lost revenue if they acknowledge the truth: no public accommodation like airline travel can ever be completely secured. Also, for many years, airline managements have been on a campaign to minimize the authority and stature of pilots, preferring to place decision making power in the hands of employees that do not enjoy the same autonomy and authority that pilots do. Arming pilots is clearly counter to this long term goal and we are stunned that they are willing to compromise the safety of air travelers to further their interests in this power struggle they have initiated with their pilots. This decision is great news for the terrorists and the ATA"
"Thank God for the efforts of Congressmen Mica and Young as well as Senators Bob Smith, Burns, Murkowski and Zell Miller. The legislation they are committed to will mandate that volunteer airline pilots be screened, trained and armed with firearms and it will remove the veto power that existing law gives to the administration and airline managements. We will work with our friends in Congress to expedite this legislation and we pray that Congress is able to move faster than the terrorists."
Contact Information:
Capt. Tracy W. Price - Chairman
Home: (703)250-3568
Cell: (703)587-7811
Fax: (703)250-3568
Email: TracyPrice@compuserve.com
Capt. Marc Feigenblatt - Vice Chairman
Home: (513) 232-8350
Cell: (513) 225-5996
Fax: (513) 232-8349 (must call first)
Email: APSA@cinci.rr.com
APSA Web Site: www.secure-skies.org
"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
'Only law enforcement officers should carry firearms'
By CAPTAIN DENNIS JACKSON
May 22, 2002
ArmedFemalesOfAmerica.com -- In a common display of political cowardice, the undersecretary for transportation security, John Magaw told a congressional committee that pilots would not be allowed to carry firearms as a last line of defense against hijackers.
Hopefully, Congress will exhibit more fortitude in passing HR 4635. This bill will make it a federal law that airline pilots who are qualified, investigated and trained will be allowed to carry a firearm on board commercial aircraft for the defense of the passengers, crew and those on the ground, in the event of a hijacking, as outlined by the following:
Sec. 44921. Federal flight deck officer program
(a) ESTABLISHMENT- Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security shall establish a program to deputize qualified volunteer pilots of passenger aircraft as Federal law enforcement officers to defend the flight decks of aircraft of air carriers engaged in air transportation or intrastate air transportation against acts of criminal violence or air piracy. Such officers shall be known as `Federal flight deck officers'. The program shall be administered in connection with the Federal air marshal program.
(b) QUALIFIED PILOT- Under the program, a qualified pilot is a pilot of an aircraft engaged in air transportation or intrastate air transportation who-- (1) is employed by an air carrier; (2) has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Under Secretary fitness to be a Federal flight deck officer under the program; and (3) has been the subject of an employment investigation (including a criminal history record check) under section 44936(a)(1).
Magaw claims that only law enforcement should carry firearms on aircraft. Magaw has suggested a plan to provide all law enforcement officers with a special ID card that will allow them access to the aircraft with a firearm. Since this plan does not include pilots, I wonder if Magaw has a plan to create `super' law enforcement officers to fly aircraft if the pilots become incapacitated during flight, or during a hijacking attempt?
There is no guarantee, as Magaw claims, that a law enforcement officer will be on board a hijacked commercial airliner, or that it will prevent a future hijacking. In fact, there was a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on United Airlines flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, PA on September 11, 2001. Why did this officer not prevent the hijacking? Did the terrorists defeat him early on during the hijacking? The government is not talking! It is certain that if the pilots were armed with lethal self-defense tools these terrorists would be "picked off" by the pilots as they came through the narrow flight deck door.
Instead, Magaw is implementing a toll free 800 number for passengers to call the authorities in the event of a hijacking. There were several passengers and crewmembers that made cell phone calls on September 11, and not one of those calls prevented the horrific tragedy that followed. The only logical reason for an 800 number for this purpose is to provide the government with an `early alert' for the dispatch of the military fighters that will use missiles to shoot down the aircraft.
Can you imagine the embarrassment to the United States if Osama bin Laden dupes us into shooting down one of our own aircraft? The propaganda advantage to OBL and al Qaeda would be better than another WTC style attack! We would be the laughing stock of the world.
Magaw said the pilots could use in-flight maneuvers to keep the hijackers off guard and suggested installing cameras in the cabin so pilots can see the results of any actions they take. Magaw also stated that pilots should "concentrate on flying the aircraft". If this is true, how is a video screen in the flight deck going to keep the pilots concentration on flying the aircraft? In addition, the FAA has already advised pilots not to use unusual maneuvers in flight. Such action could cause structural damage to the aircraft and also injure crewmembers in the cabin.
Magaw claims that he would possibly favor the use of less-than-lethal weapons for the defense of the flight deck such as stun guns or Tasers. While John Magaw was director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, I am certain he would not send his agents into a potentially hazardous situation armed only with a "stun gun". The use of a stun gun in the flight deck of a fly-by-wire aircraft could have devastating results to the entire electrical system and may cause the loss of the aircraft. Pilots and passengers deserve the same logical consideration when it comes to the potential hazard of a deadly hijacking.
This only illustrates the ignorance of the TSA director and shows that he has not done his homework before making such a broad statement that he will not allow armed pilots. I can guarantee that John Magaw did not meet with proponents of the armed pilot program or any industry leaders familiar with the complexities of the issue before making his ridiculous statement to Congress.
John Magaw is bowing to the wishes of the terrorist organizations that wish a safe work environment for their evil activities and the airlines that are only concerned about their liability and bottom line.
With the daily warnings of more terror attacks every concerned citizen should contact their Congressman and encourage them to support the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (HR 4635)
Captain Jackson is a pilot for a major US air carrier and a technical advisor to Armed Females of America. He has also been an active proponent of arming pilots and is a certified firearm instructor.
http://www.keepandbeararms.com/information/XcIBViewItem.asp?ID=3415
"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
By Jim Burns
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
May 21, 2002
(2nd Add: Includes comments by Sen. Bob Smith.)
(CNSNews.com) - The federal government Tuesday said pilots will not be allowed to have guns in the cockpit on commercial airline flights.
John Magaw, an undersecretary with the Department of Transportation, made the comment in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.
"After a lot consultation and realizing my experience in law enforcement, I will not authorize firearms in the cockpit," Magaw told the Senate Commerce Committee. He did not give any reason for the decision, but he did say the DOT will formally announce its policy later this week.
However, legislation now pending in both chambers of Congress would allow pilots to defend their cockpits with guns. Both Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge have said they oppose the idea.
Magaw's announcement angered a group called the Committee for the Armed Defense of the Cockpit, which said it expected this to happen.
The group said that's why it is moving ahead with its allies in Congress, seeking legislation that will force the Department of Transportation to allow guns in the cockpit.
Bob Taubert, a former FBI agent and now a security consultant for the Committee for the Armed Defense Of The Cockpit, said the federal government sees this as a gun or a Second Amendment issue.
"But this is no such thing," Taubert said. "It's merely a safety and security issue that we are concerned with. But you have people in government that have this visceral gunphobic attitude, and I also think some of the government agencies feel threatened," Taubert told CNSNews.com .
For example, Taubert said arming pilots might infringe on the turf of the federal air marshal program. "The federal air marshal program might actually feel threatened with armed pilots on board because it would detract from their empire," said Taubert.
Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said during Tuesday's hearing that guns are not needed as long as cockpit doors remain locked while the plane is in flight.
Earlier this month, Hollings introduced legislation that would require the cockpit doors to remain shut and locked at all times during a flight, but the bill also specifies that pilots would not be allowed to have guns in the cockpit.
"Pilots are there to fly, not shoot. It's not ho-hum up there. You don't get up and stretch. You fly the plane. Airlines could outfit their cockpits with rest rooms adequate for long journeys," said Hollings at the time.
Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.), sponsor of legislation allowing properly trained pilots to carry guns, said he will be introducing a bill with a bipartisan coalition, including Sens. Zell Miller (D-Ga.), Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), and Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) to create a voluntary program to arm pilots.
"This is the primary option to implement the program that was called for in the Aviation Security Bill. The pilots want this program, and the American people want additional means to be protected against future contemplated acts of terrorism. Armed pilots are the first line of deterrence and the last line of defense," Smith said in a statement.
The Gun Owners of America was angry at Magaw as well.
"This decision comes right out of Al Gore's playbook. This is not what the American people elected George Bush to do. He had better take some officials to the political woodshed, or else people are going to start wondering where he stands on the important right of self-defense," said GOA spokesman Erich Pratt http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200205\NAT20020521c.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
Email this Story
05/21/2002 12:31 PM EDT
By JONATHAN D. SALANT
(AP) On Capitol Hill, John Magaw, left, undersecretary for transportation security and Transportation...
Full Image
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government said Tuesday that pilots will not be allowed to have guns in the cockpits of commercial airplanes.
The announcement was made at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing by John Magaw, undersecretary for transportation security. It followed months of debate over whether arming pilots would be a deterrent to hijackers.
Both Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge previously indicated their opposition to arming pilots.
Magaw announced his decision in response to a question from Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the committee.
"Pilots need to concentrate on flying the plane," Magaw said later in the hearing. Specially trained air marshals should be the only armed officers on board, he added.
"These marshals are trained not only in the use of weapons but all the things that build up to that," Magaw said. "They have to practice all of these things in a tight aircraft. They have special firearms training. We don't want them shooting the firearm with the potential of bringing that airplane down."
Magaw said the pilots could use in-flight maneuvers to keep the hijackers off guard and suggested installing cameras in the cabin so pilots can see the results of any actions they take.
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., a co-sponsor of legislation to arm pilots, asked Magaw to reconsider his opposition.
"Those who want to be armed will put themselves through the same training the air marshals go through," Burns said.
Magaw said a formal announcement of the decision will be made later in the week.
Airline pilots have been pushing for guns, saying it would allow them to confront a hijacker who breaks into the cockpit. Hijackers took over four commercial airlines on Sept. 11, crashing two of them into the World Trade Center and a third into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Flight attendants, meanwhile, have advocated nonlethal weapons, such as stun guns, that they could use in emergencies.
Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., who chairs the Commerce Committee, said guns would not be needed as long as pilots kept cockpit doors locked while in flight.
"You can put the rule in right now and cut out all the argument about pistols and stun guns," Hollings said.
Opponents of arming pilots have said reinforced cockpit doors now required on all planes mean that pistols are unnecessary. They have also expressed concern that an errant shot might hit a passenger or damage a key electrical system on the plane.
Besides the Senate bill, a bill in the House would allow pilots to be armed. The House Transportation Committee is scheduled to take up the bill this week.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20020521/D7JL7CM81.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
Report and Analysis by J.J. Johnson
Published 05. 21. 02 at 21:31 Sierra Time
Be afraid -- be very afraid. This seems to be the only message sent out of Washington D.C. these days. In spite of all the increased terrorism threats, you can rest easy knowing over 55,000 daily commercial flights can still be turned into deadly weapons -- since the U.S. Transportation Department has decided not to permit commercial airline pilots to carry firearms in the cockpit as a measure to avert hijackings.
Forget that 70% of the airline pilots favor a voluntary program of pilots to be trained, certified, and allowed to carry firearms. Forget that the majority of the flying public supports the pilots being armed. Forget that most commercial pilots have prior military experience and know how to handle a gun. Forget the fact that all cockpit doors won't be re-enforced until 2003. Forget the fact that over 57,000 people are needed just for baggage screening. Forget even that Osama Bin Laden in one of his videos warned Muslims to stay out of planes and tall buildings. Forget that armed pilots possibly could have prevented the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Forget about all of that. Your government knows better. And if they get a prior warning, you can trust your president will be safely relocated to Air Force One and a guarantee to bring the next group of (probably dead) terrorists to justice.
We can take the man out of the agency, but we can't seem to take the agency out of the man. The decision maker in this case was one John Magaw, who's previous tenure included another agency who has an institutional problem with armed persons.
"After a lot of consultation and months of work, I will not authorize firearms in the cockpit," Magaw, director of the Transportation Security Administration, told the Senate Commerce Committee during a hearing on aviation security. His job under Clinton: Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
"Pilots need to concentrate on flying the plane," Magaw said later in the hearing, adding that specially trained air marshals should be the only armed officers on board.
One would imagine we could trust the words of commercial air pilots. They state: "Pilots are trained to do numerous tasks simultaneously. For example, one task they must be able to perform is the use of a fire extinguisher if a fire breaks out in the cockpit regardless of other pressing duties. "A suggestion that pilots should ignore a fire and fly the plane would be ludicrous. Yet some have suggested pilots ignore terrorists breaking into a cockpit and continue to just fly the airplane -- an equally ludicrous notion," the APLA told Sierra Times.
"These marshals are trained not only in the use of weapons but all the things that build up to that," Magaw said. "They have to practice all of these things in a tight aircraft. They have special firearms training. We don't want them shooting the firearm with the potential of bringing that airplane down."
There are over 55,000 take offs a day, which is more than the entire armed federal civilian force. The FAA is currently looking for another 57,500 -- just for checking bags.
"The government already has told us that if terrorists take control of one of our cockpits, they will send military aircraft to shoot down the airliner and all its crew and passengers. In the face of such choices, we do not understand why these same government officials refuse to give pilots a last chance to prevent such a tragedy." Said Capt. Duane Woerth, president of the Airline Pilots Association (APLA) in response to Tuesday's statement by Magaw.
But what would 62,000 pilots know, anyway?
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, defended the agency's position on the unarmed pilots policy. "Just as legislation takes time, decisions coming out of the executive branch also require thought as well," Mineta said.
According to APLA, from 1961 to 2001, pilots were permitted to carry firearms. Many did so -- and safely -- during the Cuban hijackings of the 1970s. Ironically, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revoked that regulation last July, shortly before the Sept. 11 attack.
According to the U.S. Government, it is now known that middle-eastern al Queda operatives are in the United States. It is known that numerous middle-easterners were learning how to fly commercial aircraft -- a lot more than 19. It has been stated by the Transportation Safety Administration that the threat to aviation security is still high.
On May 6, 2002, Solicitor General Theodore Olson (whose wife Barbara perished on American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001) wrote in a brief to the Supreme Court, "The current position of the United States ... is that the Second Amendment more broadly protects the rights of individuals ... to possess and bear their own firearms."
Yet, on May, 21, 2002 -- with the rubble still not totally cleared from what was the World Trade Center, and on a day with America on high alert for possible terrorist acts, the one policy that could have prevented the worst act of war (terrorism) on American soil -- that was taken away two months prior to the attack, with hijack warnings from intelligence agencies in at least 6 countries (including the FBI), The Bush Administration -- represented by former BATF Chief John Magaw -- has decided not to authorize pilots to carry firearms in the cockpits of commercial aircraft.
On Thursday, the House Aviation Subcommittee will mark up H.R. 4635, the Young-Mica bill that would mandate a government program for selective training and arming of airline pilots.
c 2002 SierraTimes.com (unless otherwise noted)
http://www.sierratimes.com/02/05/22/arjj052202.htm
"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
-- Pilots will not be allowed to have firearms
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585
(Tuesday, May 21, 2002) -- The Bush administration today slapped millions of Americans in the face when it announced that pilots would not be allowed to have guns in the cockpit.
Polls have shown that seven in ten Americans support arming pilots and that seventy-five percent of pilots support the idea as well. Further, a majority of Senators and Representatives have endorsed the concept, as evidenced by the fact that Congress passed legislation last year allowing pilots to carry guns.
But despite the tremendous support in this country for what is really a very simple idea, the Bush administration has said "no" to arming the pilots, and "yes" to relying on an F-16 fighter jet to shoot down the next commercial plane that gets hijacked by a terrorist.
Speaking for the administration, Transportation Undersecretary John Magaw (who was formerly the head of the BATF) said that pilots need to just focus on flying the plane. Of course, a pilot can't fly the plane if someone is crashing through the cockpit door and slitting his throat. Pilots have admitted the cockpit door does not stay closed the entire flight as they must inevitably make use of the bathroom.
The President signed legislation last year allowing pilots to carry firearms for the defense of the cockpit. Obviously, there is need for much stronger legislation. Right now, there is a bill in Congress which would mandate that the administration put armed pilots in the air within 90 days.
In the House, Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and John Mica (R-FL) are the chief sponsors of this legislation (H.R. 4635). And Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) is expected to introduce a companion bill in the Senate sometime this week.
ACTION: Please urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 4635. You can call your Representative at 202-225-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. To identify your Representative, as well as to send a message via e-mail, see the Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm on the GOA website.
Pre-written message
Dear Representative:
Please cosponsor H.R. 4635. The Bush administration's decision to prevent pilots from having guns in the cockpit is outrageous. The administration says that a pilot needs to just focus on flying the plane. But a pilot can't fly the plane if someone is crashing through the cockpit door and slitting his throat!
Guns in the cockpit are a proven success. At least that's the track record of Israel's El Al airlines. After a spate of hijackings many years ago, El Al started arming its pilots and stewards. The result? Passengers can fly without the fear of being hijacked, and innocent bystanders aren't getting shot.
Again, I hope you will cosponsor H.R. 4635. The Young-Mica bill will put armed pilots in the air within 90 days. This is an idea that is supported by more than 70 percent of airline pilots and the American public. Please let me know how you intend to act.
Sincerely,
Thank the cosponsors!
Twenty-three congressmen have cosponsored H.R. 4635:
Barr (R-GA)
Bartlett (R-MD)
Boozman (R-AR)
Buyer (R-IN)
Culberson (R-TX)
English (R-PA)
Goode (I-VA)
Hall (D-TX)
Hayes (R-NC)
Johnson (R-IL)
Kingston (R-GA)
LaTourette (R-OH)
Mascara (D-PA)
Mica (R-FL)
Rehberg (R-MT)
Sandlin (D-TX)
Schaffer (R-CO)
Shuster (R-PA)
Smith (R-NJ)
Stenholm (D-TX)
Tancredo (R-CO)
Thune (R-SD)
Tiahrt (R-KS)
http://www.gunowners.org/a052102.htm
"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