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Bill would allow pilots to carry guns in cockpit
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Bill would allow pilots to carry guns in the cockpit
By BRYON OKADA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The dispute over arming pilots in the cockpit will take center stage this week on Capitol Hill.
Pilots who support having firearms for defense plan to present a petition with 41,000 signatures to a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee Thursday.
On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Don Young, R-Alaska, and John Mica, R-Florida, said they will introduce a bill that would allow pilots to carry firearms in the cockpit by making them federal law enforcement officers. Young and Mica were the House authors of the aviation security bill that passed in November.
Looming over the debate is the effect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and how to prevent other attacks.
Opposing the arming of pilots are top Bush administration officials such as Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who has indicated support for arming pilots with nonlethal weapons, such as stun devices.
The proposed Young-Mica bill would authorize the use of deadly force in defense of an aircraft and protect pilots and airlines against liability. It would also, in consultation with the firearms training unit of the FBI, establish regulations.
"I strongly believe that under these new circumstances, we must allow trained and qualified pilots to serve as the last line of defense against such a potential disaster," Young said Tuesday at a news conference in Washington, D.C. "The decision to arm pilots was not taken lightly. Under the circumstances, however, it is a necessary step to ensure the safety and security of the flying public."
The bill would, within 90 days after enactment, require the Department of Transportation to deputize qualified volunteer pilots as federal flight deck officers combating "air piracy."
Each pilot would have to be employed by an air carrier, demonstrate fitness to hold the position and undergo a strict background check. Training, supervision and equipment would be federally funded.
After 120 days, a corps of 500 deputized pilots with military or law enforcement backgrounds would be established. After two years, any qualified pilot could be deputized.
The nation's largest pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, supports arming pilots. Members of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, favor arming pilots by a 9-to-1 ratio.
Most pilots have a military background and have received firearms training. They would be willing to undergo further training, if necessary, said Capt. Bob Lambert, author of the 41,000-signature petition and a founding member of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance.
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of Nov. 19 authorized the Transportation Security Administration to allow pilots to carry approved firearms if the airline consented and the pilots were trained.
Pilots said the issue now is what should be the act of last resort against terrorists.
"If a commercial airliner is hijacked by terrorists, the last resort is for a U.S. fighter to shoot the aircraft down," said Gregg Overman, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association. "Clearly nobody finds that to be an especially appealing prospect."
A hearing of Mica's subcommittee on arming flight crews against terrorist acts is scheduled 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
ONLINE: To view the pilots' petition: www.secure-skies.org http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/nation/3171983.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
By BRYON OKADA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The dispute over arming pilots in the cockpit will take center stage this week on Capitol Hill.
Pilots who support having firearms for defense plan to present a petition with 41,000 signatures to a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee Thursday.
On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Don Young, R-Alaska, and John Mica, R-Florida, said they will introduce a bill that would allow pilots to carry firearms in the cockpit by making them federal law enforcement officers. Young and Mica were the House authors of the aviation security bill that passed in November.
Looming over the debate is the effect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and how to prevent other attacks.
Opposing the arming of pilots are top Bush administration officials such as Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who has indicated support for arming pilots with nonlethal weapons, such as stun devices.
The proposed Young-Mica bill would authorize the use of deadly force in defense of an aircraft and protect pilots and airlines against liability. It would also, in consultation with the firearms training unit of the FBI, establish regulations.
"I strongly believe that under these new circumstances, we must allow trained and qualified pilots to serve as the last line of defense against such a potential disaster," Young said Tuesday at a news conference in Washington, D.C. "The decision to arm pilots was not taken lightly. Under the circumstances, however, it is a necessary step to ensure the safety and security of the flying public."
The bill would, within 90 days after enactment, require the Department of Transportation to deputize qualified volunteer pilots as federal flight deck officers combating "air piracy."
Each pilot would have to be employed by an air carrier, demonstrate fitness to hold the position and undergo a strict background check. Training, supervision and equipment would be federally funded.
After 120 days, a corps of 500 deputized pilots with military or law enforcement backgrounds would be established. After two years, any qualified pilot could be deputized.
The nation's largest pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, supports arming pilots. Members of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, favor arming pilots by a 9-to-1 ratio.
Most pilots have a military background and have received firearms training. They would be willing to undergo further training, if necessary, said Capt. Bob Lambert, author of the 41,000-signature petition and a founding member of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance.
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of Nov. 19 authorized the Transportation Security Administration to allow pilots to carry approved firearms if the airline consented and the pilots were trained.
Pilots said the issue now is what should be the act of last resort against terrorists.
"If a commercial airliner is hijacked by terrorists, the last resort is for a U.S. fighter to shoot the aircraft down," said Gregg Overman, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association. "Clearly nobody finds that to be an especially appealing prospect."
A hearing of Mica's subcommittee on arming flight crews against terrorist acts is scheduled 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
ONLINE: To view the pilots' petition: www.secure-skies.org http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/nation/3171983.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