My choice for cockpit protection
Every Freeper needs to contact his/her congresscritter to keep this moving.
If they won't do this on their own, let's make 'em a deal they can't refuse.
9-11 DIDN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN -- DAMN IT!
But, it seems to me, that somehow in all our high techiness - America should be able to figure out a surefire way to de-activate any hijacker who makes a threatening move. Surely we can come up with sensors that when set off automatically seek out and find someone using violence - and somehow visitng that someone with some kind of high voltage shock or perhaps very high pitched sound - or both.
It'll also put a quick end to the scheme if they don't get the hints.
Aren't most commercial pilots former officers in the military? Aren't many active officers in the National Guard? Haven't they received military training?
If we can't trust officers with weaponry, who the heck can we entrust?
At the very least, those current officers in the Air National Guard should be required to carry weapons as part of our new National Defense.
Here are my answers to the common stupid reasons for not arming airline :
Stupid Reason #1. Pilots can't be forced to be armed. It should be voluntary.
A #1. Does the same logic apply to other jobs? What about bank security guards" or Secret Service officers? Should they be allowed to keep their jobs if they refuse to carry? I say No, and they should be well-trained.
Stupid Reason #2. We'd be leaving ourselves open to the threat of terrorist infiltration of air marshall ranks.
A #2. Or an ever bigger threat, hijackers impersonating air marshalls. If marshalls are undercover the crew doesn't know who they are. What does a crew person do if they see an armed passenger? Assume they are air marshalls? What if they aren't?
Stupid Reason #3. It seems that some people have had the ability to steal airline uniforms and credentials. Such a successful imposter would be able to take a firearm on a plane.
A #3. What about imposter air marshalls? They don't even have uniforms, they are undercover. How hard can it be to fake an air marshall ID? How does the crew decide between the real air marshall and the fake one who is a suicide bomber?
Stupid Reason #4. Anyone can impersonate a pilot and get a gun on board.
A #4. If the imposter pilot successfully gets on board, is in the cockpit and has total control of the plane already, WHAT DOES HE NEED A GUN FOR?
A Note about Undercover Sky Marshalls:
My argument against undercover sky marshalls is: How are the crew going to know who is a undercover sky marshall and who is an undercover suicide bomber?
Let's say that a hijacker has a gun on board and is spotted by one of the crew. Should they feel safe? What if said hijacker pulls out official (fake) Air Marshall ID and presents it to the crew and says that they need to talk to the pilot because they saw something out of the ordinary in Row 3? And then proceeds to pop the unarmed pilot. And drive it into the Sears Tower. Couldn't happen? Why not?
IMHO, pilots should be forced to carry-- it is a job requirement-- and they should be the only ones to carry. They should also be locked in the cockpit for the duration of the flight. Problem solved
Only stupid liberal winnies have a problem with it, and under the guidelines spelled out, it would be a great thing.
If an armed society is a polite society, an armed society on an airplane will probably be just as polite.
I do not recall any phrase in the Second Amendment which says government gets to choose which "special" group of citizens "is allowed" to carry -- we all are allowed to carry!
For the want of four pistols, nearly 7,000 people lost their lives! How tragic. How utterly stupid!
Government at its best!