Well boys,
Whatcha think?? I thought the steel, 3 inch reinforced cockpit doors would work just fine.
NO GUNS!
-Suze
House OKs Bill to Arm Airline Pilots
Wed Jul 10, 4:57 PM ET
By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Airline pilots could carry guns
in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists
under a bill the House passed overwhelmingly
Wednesday despite the opposition of the White House.
The legislation, approved by a vote
of 310-113, would allow guns for
more than 70,000 pilots if they
agreed to undergo training.
Lawmakers stripped out provisions that would have limited
the program to some 1,400 pilots, about 2 percent of those
flying.
Despite the strong House support, prospects in the Senate were not good for the
legislation. Besides the White House, those opposing it include Ernest Hollings, a
South Carolina Democrat who heads the Senate Commerce Committee.
The guns-in-cockpits question is among a host of aviation security issues that
arose after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In this case, House GOP leaders have
been at odds with the administration, which has repeatedly argued that cockpit
crews should focus on flying planes and let air marshals worry about security.
Though Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Transportation
Committee agreed to arm only a fraction of the pilots, rank-and-file lawmakers
voted to expand the program to any pilot who volunteers.
"If there is a credible threat that requires arming pilots, why would you restrict
yourself?" said an amendment sponsor, Rep. Peter DeFazio ( news, bio, voting
record), D-Ore. "Having that minuscule number of pilots trained and armed
would not make any sense. If the pilots should be armed, there should be some
significant number."
The measure also would require more self-defense training for flight attendants
and give the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 90 days to act on an
airline's request to equip pilots and flight attendants with non-lethal weapons
such as stun guns.
"Today, armed F-16s are prepared to shoot down any commercial jet that is
hijacked by terrorists," said Transportation Committee chairman Don Young,
R-Alaska. "It is imperative 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."
Opponents of the legislation have expressed concern that an errant bullet could
kill a passenger or knock out a critical electrical system.
A flight attendants union also opposed arming pilots.
"Giving guns to pilots without specific cabin defense requirements for airlines
could be deadly for flight attendants and passengers," Patricia Friend, president
of the Association of Flight Attendants, said last month.
TSA head John Magaw, who announced the administration's position against
guns in cockpits, has said that a pilot should give undivided attention to flying
his plane, landing it as quickly as possible and conducting in-flight maneuvers to
keep hijackers off balance.
Rep. John Mica ( news, bio, voting record), chairman of the House aviation
subcommittee, dismissed the administration's objections.
"Bureaucrats set the rules. We set the policy and the laws," said Mica, R-Fla.
Pilots' unions said their members needed the guns to prevent terrorists from
breaking into cockpits and commandeering airplanes, as happened last
September.
The Air Line Pilots Association ( news - web sites) has contributed $764,000 to
federal candidates since Jan. 1, 2001. That's more in donations than was given to
candidates by any individual airline, with 85 percent of the money going to
Democrats, many of whom joined the majority House Republicans in supporting
the legislation.
Before the vote, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American
Airlines pilots, urged its members to call lawmakers and ask them to increase
the number of pilots who could carry guns.
In strengthening airline security following the attacks, lawmakers gave the
decision to arm pilots to the TSA. After Magaw announced the administration's
decision against guns in the cockpits, lawmakers in both houses introduced
legislation to overturn that action.
Magaw said the presence of air marshals on board many flights and the use of
reinforced cockpit doors provide sufficient protection against terrorists.
Although passage in the House had been predicted, the legislation faced difficult
obstacles on the other side of the Capitol.
Congressional aides have suggested that the measure may be offered as an
amendment to a bill providing money for the Transportation Department,
because Hollings' opposition is enough under Senate rules to keep the
armed-pilots bill from coming up for a vote.
"A freestanding bill is not the only way to pass something in the Senate," said
Sen. Robert Smith ( news, bio, voting record), R-N.H.
Whatcha think?? I thought the steel, 3 inch reinforced cockpit doors would work just fine.
NO GUNS!
-Suze
House OKs Bill to Arm Airline Pilots
Wed Jul 10, 4:57 PM ET
By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Airline pilots could carry guns
in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists
under a bill the House passed overwhelmingly
Wednesday despite the opposition of the White House.
The legislation, approved by a vote
of 310-113, would allow guns for
more than 70,000 pilots if they
agreed to undergo training.
Lawmakers stripped out provisions that would have limited
the program to some 1,400 pilots, about 2 percent of those
flying.
Despite the strong House support, prospects in the Senate were not good for the
legislation. Besides the White House, those opposing it include Ernest Hollings, a
South Carolina Democrat who heads the Senate Commerce Committee.
The guns-in-cockpits question is among a host of aviation security issues that
arose after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In this case, House GOP leaders have
been at odds with the administration, which has repeatedly argued that cockpit
crews should focus on flying planes and let air marshals worry about security.
Though Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Transportation
Committee agreed to arm only a fraction of the pilots, rank-and-file lawmakers
voted to expand the program to any pilot who volunteers.
"If there is a credible threat that requires arming pilots, why would you restrict
yourself?" said an amendment sponsor, Rep. Peter DeFazio ( news, bio, voting
record), D-Ore. "Having that minuscule number of pilots trained and armed
would not make any sense. If the pilots should be armed, there should be some
significant number."
The measure also would require more self-defense training for flight attendants
and give the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 90 days to act on an
airline's request to equip pilots and flight attendants with non-lethal weapons
such as stun guns.
"Today, armed F-16s are prepared to shoot down any commercial jet that is
hijacked by terrorists," said Transportation Committee chairman Don Young,
R-Alaska. "It is imperative 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."
Opponents of the legislation have expressed concern that an errant bullet could
kill a passenger or knock out a critical electrical system.
A flight attendants union also opposed arming pilots.
"Giving guns to pilots without specific cabin defense requirements for airlines
could be deadly for flight attendants and passengers," Patricia Friend, president
of the Association of Flight Attendants, said last month.
TSA head John Magaw, who announced the administration's position against
guns in cockpits, has said that a pilot should give undivided attention to flying
his plane, landing it as quickly as possible and conducting in-flight maneuvers to
keep hijackers off balance.
Rep. John Mica ( news, bio, voting record), chairman of the House aviation
subcommittee, dismissed the administration's objections.
"Bureaucrats set the rules. We set the policy and the laws," said Mica, R-Fla.
Pilots' unions said their members needed the guns to prevent terrorists from
breaking into cockpits and commandeering airplanes, as happened last
September.
The Air Line Pilots Association ( news - web sites) has contributed $764,000 to
federal candidates since Jan. 1, 2001. That's more in donations than was given to
candidates by any individual airline, with 85 percent of the money going to
Democrats, many of whom joined the majority House Republicans in supporting
the legislation.
Before the vote, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American
Airlines pilots, urged its members to call lawmakers and ask them to increase
the number of pilots who could carry guns.
In strengthening airline security following the attacks, lawmakers gave the
decision to arm pilots to the TSA. After Magaw announced the administration's
decision against guns in the cockpits, lawmakers in both houses introduced
legislation to overturn that action.
Magaw said the presence of air marshals on board many flights and the use of
reinforced cockpit doors provide sufficient protection against terrorists.
Although passage in the House had been predicted, the legislation faced difficult
obstacles on the other side of the Capitol.
Congressional aides have suggested that the measure may be offered as an
amendment to a bill providing money for the Transportation Department,
because Hollings' opposition is enough under Senate rules to keep the
armed-pilots bill from coming up for a vote.
"A freestanding bill is not the only way to pass something in the Senate," said
Sen. Robert Smith ( news, bio, voting record), R-N.H.
