[FreeYourMind]

Based on my personal flying experience I have to say I'd feel much safer if only the pilot were armed, rather than every single person on the airplane. Maybe it's something about being confined to a small space for long periods of time, but people just seem a little too irritable on airplanes to be trusted with firearms. That being said, I wouldn't support a law against it, I'm just talking about what I think is common sense.

[marktwain]

Why do we constantly forget history? There was a significant period of time, before 1970 or so, during which there were NO federal controls on bringing guns aboard planes and we had very few problems. There was at least one case where a pilot with a gun stopped a hijacker with a gun before Federal controls were put on. When the hijackings started, we had a choice, try to disarm everyone, or use contervailing force against hijackers. We took the route to restrict freedoms and it has failed spectacularly. Now lots of people who can't learn are saying that we need more of the same.

Life is not safe. The idea that it can be is one of the basic fallacies of the totalitarians. The death rate is the same everywhere: one per person.

[absalom01]

Yes, but...

I also have to fly (a lot) as part of my job -- and it's really not relevant what "makes us feel safer" or what one uncritically accepts as "common sense". It's my life you're offering up. Only facts will do when the stakes are that high. Of course, this thread is an academic argument, since the political discourse (not just here) is about feelings, not reason.

You seem thoughtful, but the question raised by the post is worthy of serious analysis. And, by the way, go back to my original paragraph -- I wasn't talking about firearms: are you opposed just to guns, or any form of effective self defense?