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I heard this on NPR this evening. Here's copy from AP :
Feb 19, 7:24 PM EST
Feds Announce Plan for Arming Pilots
By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Commercial pilots who want to carry guns in the cockpit would have to undergo psychological and background checks before being selected for a five-day training program under a plan announced Wednesday by the Transportation Security Administration.
The first group of 48 pilots could begin training in a month, the agency said.
It said the plan is preliminary and could change before Tuesday's deadline for the agency to issue rules for the program, which was approved by Congress last year.
The plan calls for the training to include marksmanship, lessons on legal policies and defensive tactics, agency spokesman Robert Johnson said.
"We're focusing on their ability to be a good federal law enforcement officer in a crisis situation at 48,000 feet," he said.
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After completing training, pilots would be issued a .40-caliber, semiautomatic pistol and given authority to have the weapon with them only when they're flying a commercial aircraft, Johnson said.
When going to and from the airport, they would be required to carry the holstered weapon inside a locked case inside a bag so no one could tell they had a gun, he said.
Though Congress didn't give the TSA any money to train pilots or pay for guns, the agency assembled $500,000 from various accounts for a test program. The agency has asked for $20 million to run a broader program.
"It's going to be limited and small-scale," said Capt. Fred Bates, an American Airlines pilot who heads a group of pilots working with the agency to put the program in place. "We have grave concerns" about the program's scope, he said.
Pilots also strongly objected to the restrictions on carrying weapons.
"Placing the weapon in and out of a container is probably not as safe as actually carrying it," said Capt. Steve Luckey, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's national security committee. "The more you handle the weapon, the more the opportunity arises for an accidental discharge."
The possibility of a gun going off by mistake is one reason airlines and airports have opposed arming pilots. Though a bullet that would do little harm if it pierced an aircraft's fuselage, it could cause a problem if it hit a fuel line or electrical cable.
Michael Wascom, spokesman for the airlines' Air Transport Association, said the group hasn't had a chance to review the proposal.
"However, it's fair to say, we've had well-known reservations about arming pilots with deadly weapons," Wascom said.
Pilots don't agree whether background checks are appropriate. Bates said pilots are already a select group. "Extensive psychological testing is a waste of taxpayers' money and is counterproductive," he said.
Luckey said his group supports the background checks because they would filter out anyone who was psychologically unable to kill someone - an attribute not needed to fly an airplane.
"Suitable to fly is not the same as suitable to shoot," Luckey said.
The TSA will select the first 48 pilots to be trained from nominees submitted by the pilots' groups. Luckey said hundreds of pilots from the Air Line Pilots Association are signing up every day.
Feb 19, 7:24 PM EST
Feds Announce Plan for Arming Pilots
By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Commercial pilots who want to carry guns in the cockpit would have to undergo psychological and background checks before being selected for a five-day training program under a plan announced Wednesday by the Transportation Security Administration.
The first group of 48 pilots could begin training in a month, the agency said.
It said the plan is preliminary and could change before Tuesday's deadline for the agency to issue rules for the program, which was approved by Congress last year.
The plan calls for the training to include marksmanship, lessons on legal policies and defensive tactics, agency spokesman Robert Johnson said.
"We're focusing on their ability to be a good federal law enforcement officer in a crisis situation at 48,000 feet," he said.
Latest News
Feds Announce Plan for Arming Pilots
Part of Oakland Airport Evacuated
Fla. Airport Workers Indicted Over Info.
Interactives
Tightening Airport Security
After completing training, pilots would be issued a .40-caliber, semiautomatic pistol and given authority to have the weapon with them only when they're flying a commercial aircraft, Johnson said.
When going to and from the airport, they would be required to carry the holstered weapon inside a locked case inside a bag so no one could tell they had a gun, he said.
Though Congress didn't give the TSA any money to train pilots or pay for guns, the agency assembled $500,000 from various accounts for a test program. The agency has asked for $20 million to run a broader program.
"It's going to be limited and small-scale," said Capt. Fred Bates, an American Airlines pilot who heads a group of pilots working with the agency to put the program in place. "We have grave concerns" about the program's scope, he said.
Pilots also strongly objected to the restrictions on carrying weapons.
"Placing the weapon in and out of a container is probably not as safe as actually carrying it," said Capt. Steve Luckey, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's national security committee. "The more you handle the weapon, the more the opportunity arises for an accidental discharge."
The possibility of a gun going off by mistake is one reason airlines and airports have opposed arming pilots. Though a bullet that would do little harm if it pierced an aircraft's fuselage, it could cause a problem if it hit a fuel line or electrical cable.
Michael Wascom, spokesman for the airlines' Air Transport Association, said the group hasn't had a chance to review the proposal.
"However, it's fair to say, we've had well-known reservations about arming pilots with deadly weapons," Wascom said.
Pilots don't agree whether background checks are appropriate. Bates said pilots are already a select group. "Extensive psychological testing is a waste of taxpayers' money and is counterproductive," he said.
Luckey said his group supports the background checks because they would filter out anyone who was psychologically unable to kill someone - an attribute not needed to fly an airplane.
"Suitable to fly is not the same as suitable to shoot," Luckey said.
The TSA will select the first 48 pilots to be trained from nominees submitted by the pilots' groups. Luckey said hundreds of pilots from the Air Line Pilots Association are signing up every day.
Shows how familiar with aviation TSA is.
