U.S. House Approves Plan to Arm Airline Pilots with Handguns
Cubin Co-Sponsors Bill that Empowers Pilots to Protect their Passengers and Planes

Washington - In a bold move intended to help thwart any future terrorist hijackings of commercial airliners, the U.S. House today approved a bill cosponsored by U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY) that will allow airline pilots to be deputized and armed with handguns in the cockpit. Cubin voted in favor of the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (H.R. 4635), which passed by a vote of 310 to 113.

The original version of the bill called for a test program under which less than two percent of all pilots would be eligible to be armed and would last for only two years. Rep. Cubin voted for an amendment that was adopted during debate on the House floor that will make the program permanent and make every qualified pilot eligible to be deputized and trained to carry a handgun in the cockpit.

“Today we took another important step to give pilots a fighting chance should terrorists try to duplicate the horrible acts of September 11,” said Cubin. “Reinforced cockpit doors won’t be completed until next year and air marshals will never ride on a majority of flights. Pilots should be the last line of defense and they deserve the right to protect our skies from terror.”

“Just recently, we have seen Saddam Hussein’s stepson deported because he tried to enroll in a flight school in the United States,” said Cubin. “The ongoing threat of terrorism is real, with many terrorist cells still teaching their followers how to hijack and fly commercial airliners. Arming pilots is an extraordinary step, but, as recent events have shown, these are far from ordinary times.”

Before being deputized, pilots will undergo thorough training by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA will be responsible for establishing protocols for carrying guns, including where they will be stored and what type will be used. Also included in the bill is a provision for flight attendant self-defense training.

H.R. 4635:
• Initiates a two-year test of arming pilots with handguns while in the cockpit;
• Gives preference to pilots with military training;
• Requires pilots to undergo training before being deputized, and;
• Provides a last line of defense against hijackers.