Posted on 11/22/2002 12:39:37 PM PST by 45Auto
FOREWARD: "Even if pilots and their crews were trained in firearms safety and use...it is difficult to imagine that their competence could approach that of law enforcement personnel." The Brady Center report to the FAA Feb. 12, 2002
Something happened on November 19, 2002 that you may not be aware of. 40 years of murderous gun control was overturned, largely by the efforts of YOU…the lawful gun owner/activist.
We were all outraged by the events of September 11, 2001 and our forces were mobilized to a point that we were able to convince our national leaders that firearms are an effective tool for self-defense, even for pilots.. With the passage of the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism amendment of the Homeland Security bill this is now an indisputable fact.
Because of YOUR efforts, because you made phone calls, wrote letters, called talk radio shows and sent e-mails and faxes to your elected representatives we learned a great and important lesson. And that is that we can defeat the forces of gun control!
Arming pilots was a long shot from the beginning. We did not have support from the Bush administration, airline managements, the major pilot unions and the national news media. We have learned from this lesson that we can go forward in our activism and accomplish any goal we desire. We can pick our battles now! What do you want, do want CCW holders to have access to commercial airlines? Do you want to see the sunset of the assault weapons ban? How about a repeal of all gun laws back to NFA 1934? It can be done!
Little did I know when I authored the petition to train and arm airline pilots that the issue would take on a life of it’s own. When Jeffrey Bennett of www.federalobserver.com approached me on this I was skeptical. He was right…thanks Jeff.
Over the past year our effort has attracted many proponents. The most notable of which was Senator Bob Smith of NH. Without his leadership in the Senate we wouldn’t be celebrating this day. But this day is YOURS, yours and the leadership in the gun rights community. You should all be proud and energized by your accomplishment.
Airline pilots only number about 100,000. This is hardly a formidable force for such a change in our attitudes and laws regarding firearms. However, the 83,000,000 gun owners were the force multiplier that brought irrational gun control to its knees.
Airline Pilots' Security Alliance was born out of the ashes of 9/11 and their singular focus rallied many previous detractors to the issue. The APSA organization provided the guidance and direction and the highly organized grassroots gun rights community carried the water for us. YOU have the undying gratitude and respect from every airline pilot in America for your support.
I would like to offer my personal thanks to some of the leaders in the gun rights community for their help in mobilizing and motivating their “troops:”
Jeffrey Bennett of The Federal Observer
Carma Lewis of Armed Females of America
Alan Gottlieb of The Second Amendment Foundation
Angel Shamaya of Keep And Bear Arms
Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America
and to the thousands of NRA members who were also there for us
Thanks for everything, you guys ROCK!
Captain Dennis Jackson
That's because in addition to lacking intelligence, you lack imagination - and experience.
I have shot Practical Pistol for many years. We regularly have enforcement officers come out and shoot matches with us. They regularly get their butts beat - not because we're so good (though we are) but because they are so bad.
I can train a handgun novice to the compentency levels of law enforcement in about, umm... a weekend.
Street Officers have much more on their plate than which direction to point the long end and where to squeeze to make loud noises. Flight crews only need to know how not to blow off their own foot.
You mean the "Homeland Defense Rifle Ban"?
I agree. With 20,000 of them on the books, we have a better chance of catching polio than wiping these laws off the books.
yes, YES and YES!!!
Molon labe
Well the House Republicans that we voted for in '94 did advance a repeal, IIRC, But loser Lott and his band of cowards wouldn't touch it with a ten meter pole, anymore than they wanted to see the evidence in the Clinton removal from office trial. (Clinton *was* impeached by the House, just not "convicted" and removed from office by the Senate)
What's their point? Could they argue that the consequences of having armed flight crews on September 11 would have made the disaster worse somehow? Possibly a stray bullet or two would have killed a passenger? What a bunch of blind, braying asses the Brady bunch are.
"Even if pilots and their crews were trained in firearms safety and use...it is difficult to imagine that their competence could approach that of law enforcement personnel." The Brady Center report to the FAA Feb. 12, 2002"
What's their point? Could they argue that the consequences of having armed flight crews on September 11 would have made the disaster worse somehow?
Yes, someone might have actually been shot by the evil gun before the terrorist took down those two towers and attacked Rumsfeld’s office really stirring up a world of $hit!
What also pi$$es me off is that quote, I just dunno how to respond to it, as a professional pilot who has the utmost respect for LEO’s.
Guess I’ll keep my mouth shut, I might say something stupid…
Then they're no longer *our* government and public servants, but are our enemies as much an any foreign terrorists, and are completely undeserving of our support for the wars or other policies they hope to advance.
And in that case, George Bush and his new Republican supporters in congress can go the way his father's hopes for a second term did when he stabbed America's gun owners in the back with his *Assault Weapons* import ban when the next election comes in two years- two months after the AWB sunsets in September of 2004.
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