Step One of the Return to Safe Skies policy is arm the pilots. As stated above, the pilots already have a deadly weapon that is much more dangerous than any handgun - the aircraft. If we inherently trust them to exercise sanity and deliver us to our destination, what's the difference if they are armed or not? They already control the plane, a far greater weapon.

As some may recall, it was routine years ago to allow passengers to carry weapons on aircraft. Hunters often carried their shotguns, and there were no hijackings.

One important principle of using a gun for self-defense is the deterrent value. In at least twice as many instances every year, a gun prevents crime yet is never fired.

The FAA is taking comments on arming pilots. The following information is presented for your consideration, courtesy of Gun Owners of America.

(Monday, January 7, 2002) -- You will remember that your hard work
at the end of last year helped pass an armed pilots provision into
law soon after the September 11 tragedy. Well, your help is needed
once again.

The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) is seeking advice from the
public on how to implement this new law. Of special concern is the
fact that former BATF head John Magaw is now the Transportation
Security Chief (who is in charge of enforcing the law).

It is important, therefore, that the FAA hear from concerned
citizens like yourself. The deadline for responding to the FAA is
February 14.

The FAA is asking the public to comment on several questions. Some
of the questions do not involve firearms, but many of them do. For
example, the FAA wants to know:

1. Whether pilots and other flight crew members should carry
firearms or less-than-lethal weapons, and if so, whether it should
be on a voluntary basis;

2. Whether and how the weapons should be stored on the aircraft or
carried on board;

3. The types and numbers of firearms that should be carried on
aircraft for use by qualified pilots and the types of ammunition;

4. The amount and type of weapons training that [FAA] should
require, including whether there should be initial and recurrent
training;

5. Whether the qualifications for using less-than-lethal weapons
or firearms should be integrated into the existing systems for
establishing and maintaining airman qualifications, such as pilot
certificates and ratings.


TALKING POINTS to consider in your letter to the FAA:

(1) It was the clear intent of Congress to arm pilots for the
defense of their crews and passengers. This was also the clear
intent of the provision's sponsors, including Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH)
and Rep. Don Young (R-AK). Thus, the FAA should implement this law
in good faith.

Senator Smith (along with several other Senators) stated last month
in a letter to Treasury Secretary Norman Mineta that:

Both houses of Congress, as well as the Airline Pilots Association
and Allied Pilots Association, have demonstrated support for
providing pilots the means to effectively protect commercial
aircraft from violent acts by terrorists.... We believe that
armed pilots are a first line of deterrence to terrorism, because
terrorists will know that armed pilots will be behind that
reinforced cockpit door to defend the aircraft. We further
believe that armed pilots are the last line of defense against
terrorism, because when all else fails, an armed pilot will be
provided with the most effective means to disable a terrorist.
Accordingly, we hope that you and the new Undersecretary will move
expeditiously to implement Section 128 [of the Aviation and
Transportation Security Act].

Likewise, Representative Young (along with more than 60 other
Representatives) told Secretary Mineta that, "We hope that you and
the new Under Secretary will move expeditiously to implement
Section 128 [of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act], in
order that these indispensable provisions [allowing pilots to carry
guns] can be carried out seamlessly and without delay."

(2) According to the new law, the Transportation Security Chief must
approve firearms training for pilots. Thus, the FAA could
incorporate one to two hours of training into the standard
curriculum that pilots must already receive when they complete their
four-to-five day annual training requirement -- a course of study
mandated for pilots every nine months. (Firearms training could
also include former military training or private entities capable of
training at or above the standard set by the under secretary of
transportation security.) Pilots could also be trained with respect
to aviation-related issues such as Rules of Engagement.

(3) The federal government should not try to second-guess the
airlines with respect to the types and numbers of firearms which may
be carried. Rather, this determination should be delegated to the
airlines. In particular, the airline should be allowed to choose to
purchase firearms or to require pilots to purchase a standardized
model of firearms. Given that American Airlines, for example, could
order 14,500 firearms at one time, the FAA is hardly is a position
to determine what type of firearm would be available in those
quantities, let alone what firearms could be quickly and
economically procured in those quantities without driving costs to a
prohibitive level.

(4) The McClure-Volkmer law (passed in 1986) may already allow
pilots to carry firearms in locked boxes. However, a better
solution would probably be for the FAA to certify pilots who have
successfully completed annual training as law enforcement officers
for the limited purpose of allowing them to carry firearms on their
persons, nationwide. With 1500 pilots sleeping over in hubs such as
Dallas and Chicago, an airport armory could accumulate long lines of
pilots which would make "security checkpoint" lines look tame by
comparison. In addition, armories might raise security concerns,
both in terms of their robbery potential and in terms of claims by
non-pilots with forged credentials.

In foreign airports, such as London, the number of American pilots
or American carriers may total no more than 80 or 90, making an
armory more of a management issue and less of a potential security
concern. Not coincidentally, the insertion of armed pilots onto the
streets of New York and Chicago will make these cities safer and
will help dispel the notion that a new class of armed citizens will
turn American cities into "shooting galleries."


ACTION: Please send comments to the FAA before February 14. You
can read the entire FAA posting by going to
http://www.gunowners.org/faaregs.htm on the internet, or by getting
a paper copy when you submit a request to the Federal Aviation
Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591. You can also get the rule by
calling the FAA at (202) 267-9680. Make sure to identify the docket
number of this rulemaking (Docket No. is FAA-2001-111229).

Submit your comments to:

Public Docket Office
Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, SW.
Room PL-401
Washington, DC 20590-0001

You can also submit your comments at
http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/BlankDSS.asp on the web.

When submitting your comments, make sure to identify the docket
number of this rulemaking. The Docket No. is FAA-2001-111229; the
title is "Firearms, Less-Than-Lethal Weapons, and Emergency Services
on Commercial Air Flights."

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Without my wings, you know I'd surely die

[This message has been edited by Western Airlines (edited 02-07-2002).]