Dateline: 07/11/02

By a lopsided vote of 310-113, the House has passed a bill that would allow more than 70,000 commercial airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit.

During their debate on the bill, H.R. 4635 - Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, lawmakers removed by amendment provisions that would have capped the number of armed pilots at 1,400 and limited the program to a two-year trail period.

Under the bill, all pilots choosing to participate in the completely voluntary program would be required to pass military firearms training. The bill further requires airlines to provide more self defense training for flight attendants.

Should an airline choose to have their pilots armed with non-lethal weapons, rather than firearms, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be required to act on their request within 90 days. In such cases flight attendants would also be allowed to carry non-lethal weapons.

The TSA had ruled in May that no pilots would be allowed to carry guns, with TSA Administrator John Magaw stating, "They [pilots] are there to fly, not to fight." As a regulatory agency, decisions of the TSA can be overridden by Congress.

Mcgaw also contended that armed air marshals, reinforced cockpit doors and sudden in-flight maneuvers designed to throw hijackers off their feet offered adequate security.

The amendment to expand the program to include all pilots on a voluntary basis was offered by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon, 4th), who stated, "If there is a credible threat that requires arming pilots, why would you restrict yourself?"

"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," said DeFazio.

Commercial pilots unions have long supported the bill, arguing that guns were the best way to prevent hijackers from breaking into the cockpit and accessing the aircrafts' controls.

Bill Still Faces Tough Road to Becoming Law
Despite its support in the House, the bill is opposed both by President Bush and key Senators including Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings (D-South Dakota), whose vote could prevent the bill from even reaching the floor of the Senate.

Opponents argue that pilots, under extreme stress and not experienced in combat firearms situations, could accidentally shoot passengers or damage critical aircraft systems. 

Also opposing the bill are flight attendants unions, whose members fear that an abundance of firearms on board, without development of adequate crisis-situation procedures would increase the risk of injury or death to both attendants and passengers.

No timeline for the Senate's consideration of the bill has been set.