February 14, 2002 - U.S. Pilots Press Regulators To Let Them Carry Guns

WASHINGTON (USA) - Last week a United Airlines co-pilot thwarted a cockpit intruder by whacking him with an ax, but many pilots would rather arm themselves with guns.

While advocates of cockpit firearms said the hairy mid-air drama might not have merited the use of a gun, the incident placed the debate in sharp focus as the government weighs whether to let airmen carry firearms on the job.

A public comment period about whether arming pilots with lethal or nonlethal weapons on a voluntary basis should be permitted ends on Thursday, with more than 6,400 entries submitted so far to the Transportation Department. A Justice Department report on the issue is due next week.

The nation's two biggest pilots unions, representing the overwhelming majority of commercial aviators, want the authority to carry guns. But their employers, the big airlines, say it adds needless risk and is unnecessary in light of other planned security enhancements.

Pilots argue the Sept. 11 hijackings, in which suspects on four jets gained access to the cockpit with calamitous results, now demand flight decks be defended at all costs.

"Just because the pilot is armed doesn't mean he would use deadly force," said Phillip Beall, an American Airlines captain and cockpit gun advocate for the carrier's union, the Allied Pilots Association. "Every situation is going to be evaluated based on a perceived threat to the integrity of the aircraft."

Supporters said a gun might not have even been necessary to stop the unarmed man who on Feb. 7 allegedly kicked in a cockpit door panel on the United flight from Miami to Buenos Aires. The co-pilot hit Pablo Moreira Mosca,
29, with the blunt end of a fire ax kept in the cockpit for emergencies, before passengers and other crew subdued him. The plane landed safely in Argentina.

NEW HIJACK THREAT Pilots say the real threat is not one unarmed, unruly passenger, but multiple attackers who want to seize the plane.

"We came to the conclusion that we needed to have something in the cockpit that would allow pilots to make a last-ditch stand against determined terrorist hijackers," said John Mazor, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association.

Senior U.S. officials, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, believe there are other options to arming pilots, even though they have not ruled out such a plan.

"We are waiting for the report and will review the comments," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said of the feasibility study by the Justice Department's research arm, the Institute of Justice. There is no timetable for a decision.

With the comment period drawing to a close, the pilots have submitted their arguments and have received support from gun rights groups like the National Rifle Association, which stresses proper firearms training.

Many commercial pilots are military veterans and are not unfamiliar with guns, pilots groups argue. An FBI report concluded last year pilots could handle a 40-caliber Glock pistol or a variation used by federal agents.

The pilots say they could carry a gun in a shoulder, ankle or belt holster and would be trained.

Individual airlines are reluctant to discuss lethal weapons. But the Air Transport Association, the main lobbying group for big carriers, opposes giving pilots firearms.

"It's unnecessary and it also raises serious safety issues," said association spokesman Michael Wascom. "You can't discharge a gun in a cockpit without serous consequences."

Wascom said bullets could shatter a windshield, destroy sensitive equipment or injure passengers. "There are other ways to protect the cabin environment," Wascom said.

He explained the carriers are moving toward "hardening" or making the cockpit door impenetrable to an intruder or gunfire over the next 18 months.

Wascom also said the government is expanding its air marshal program utilizing plain-clothed guards. Also, there are liability concerns that likely would have to be addressed by Congress before a gun policy could be approved.

The alternative to firearms are stun guns or weapons that temporarily disable a human target.

United is the only carrier that has pledged to arm all its cockpits with stun guns. The carrier bought 1,300 Taser models from Taser International Inc.
and is training its crews how to use them. Wascom said stun guns should be considered, but pilots say they would not be practical.