Posted on 09/10/2003 9:45:19 AM PDT by joesnuffy
Jets Remain Vulnerable, Feds Block Guns in Cockpit
Jeff Louderback Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003
Two years have passed since the attacks of Sept. 11, which spurred Congress to authorize pilots to carry firearms.
But as America remembers the horrific hijackings of Sept. 11, the U.S. government has impeded efforts to arm U.S. pilots, leaving civilian airlines still vulnerable to armed hijackers.
Today, fewer than 150 pilots are approved to carry guns, according to Bob Lambert, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance (APSA).
Though Congress approved the firearms program for pilots, it left its implementation to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Critics say the TSA is not administering the program but rather is actively opposing its implementation.
About 10,000 pilots should be carrying firearms in the cockpit by now, the APSA said during a recent press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
ìIt almost seems like the bureaucrats in Washington want another hijacking,î an American Airlines pilot told NewsMax.
Pilot groups are urging President Bush to order the TSA to move more expediently in arming airline pilots as a last line of defense against terrorists.
"The president has it in his power to invoke an executive order to allow volunteer airline pilots to carry lethal weapons to defend the cockpits of our nation's airliners with expedited training," Lambert said. "We call on President Bush to end the delay and take steps to make our skies safe again."
Security Gap on Planes
Last November, Congress approved firearms for pilots after pilots argued that air marshals alone provided inadequate security.
Air marshals cover only a small percentage of the 35,000 daily flights in the United States. TSA stopped the hiring of air marshals in May to reduce a $1 billion budget shortfall.
As the security gap becomes more apparent to Americans, it remains obvious to terrorists. Intelligence agencies report continued interest by al-Qaeda in hijacking civilian airline jets.
But this time the terrorist may forgo sharpened instruments like razors and box-cutters, and may use guns smuggled by supportive airport workers.
During debates in Congress, the TSA opposed arming pilots. Improved airport security, bulletproof cockpit doors and more vigilant passengers were better security precautions, TSA officials argued.
Congress approved the firearm training program, and TSA officials agreed to cooperate. TSA authorized the first 44 pilots as flight deck officers last April, and the second class was completed in July.
TSA Doesnít Trust Pilots
TSA officials claim that they are taking appropriate action to arm trained pilots within their budget constraints. The department quickly created a training program and application process for pilots, and now that those elements are established, the pace of training will accelerate, according to TSA spokesman Brian Turmail.
Too much haste, the organization cautioned, could lead to psychologically unstable or poorly trained pilots carrying guns. This would cause more risk than protection for passengers, TSA officials say.
"Most travelers support the arming of pilots, but they also expect that it be done right," said James M. Loy, TSA administrator. "That means making certain the pilots who volunteer are capable of handling the law enforcement responsibilities and weapons given to them by the federal government."
The process of getting approved to carry a firearm is so difficult many pilots are not even bothering to apply.
First, pilots must fill out a lengthy application more consistent with applying for the CIA than seeking a firearms permit.
Once applicants volunteer for the training program, they then must pass lengthy background screenings and psychological tests.
Then, of course, the training program ñ which is rigorous and includes hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship lessons ñ must be successfully completed.
Classes of 48 are booked through the end of September, TSA officials say. The agency plans to double the number of classes in January.
After successfully completing the weeklong course, pilots are deputized as federal law enforcement officers with the jurisdiction of a tightly secured cockpit.
Even after getting authorized, the armed pilots must comply with stringent rules about carrying the guns and attend additional refresher courses each year.
Pilots say that the TSA is discouraging them from signing up for the training program by requiring unusual background and psychological checks and holding the training at a single remote site.
40,000 Volunteers Turned Away
"We estimate 40,000 pilots would volunteer if it were properly managed by the TSA," Lambert said.
Some question whether the psychological tests ñ which include an interview with a psychologist, partly to determine if a pilot is able to kill if necessary ñ should be required.
Unlike other law enforcement officers, pilots are not authorized to carry their guns in ordinary holsters. Instead, they keep the firearms in locked boxes kept in the cockpit during flight.
Because of their limited jurisdiction ñ the cockpit ñ pilots will not encounter the multitude of situations that a federal law enforcement officer would face. Pilots are permitted to use their guns only in the cockpit ñ and only if terrorists enter the cockpit.
Thus the reason some people believe that the psychological screening used on FBI agents is unnecessary for pilots.
Other decisions by the TSA have presented barriers to the training program. The organization fired Willie Ellison, who was head of the TSA firearms training academy and was highly praised by the first class of 44 graduates. Ellison was terminated for ìunacceptable performance and conduct.î House Aviation Subcommittee Chair John Mica, R-Fla., has promised an investigation regarding the firing.
Not long after the first class of armed pilots graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga., the TSA relocated the program to Artesia, N.M.
The experienced instructors at the former military base in Georgia, where employees of several federal agencies receive firearms training, were given the option of quitting their jobs or moving their families to a desolate town that is 186 miles from the nearest major city, Lubbock, Texas.
Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., is one legislator who believes the pilot group's complaints are justified.
"Pilots volunteering to receive this program's training are not receiving it in a fair and timely way," Bunning said. "TSA must do better."
Editor's note: "CATASTROPHE" Reveals Bill Clintonís Role in 9/11 - Click Here to find out more
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: Homeland/Civil Defense
What's easier to defend? Air Marshalls that protect the ENTIRE COACH CLASS,(yeah, right) or defending a DOORWAY i.e. the cockpit door?
If the pilots are unstable or poorly trained, the passengers are screwed anyway. What kind of idiots are running things at the TSA to come up with this kind of statement?
People who aren't morally qualified to carry a gun aren't morally qualified to operate an airliner. And people who don't know that aren't qualified to rule on the issue.
Apparently, the very best IDIOTS that forcibly seized taxpayer money can buy!
...but a psychologically unstable or poorly trained pilot can maneuver a 30-ton chunk of metal through the sky at 400mph just fine, right?...I get it now!<\sarcasm>
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