WASHINGTON- Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-San Diego) today voted for the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (H.R. 4635). This legislation establishes a program to arm all eligible airline pilots with handguns in the cockpits.

Cunningham fought to include an amendment in today’s legislation. This amendment eliminates the limitation on the number of pilots who can participate in the program and allows all qualified, appropriately trained pilots to carry guns and protect their passengers. Before being deputized to carry firearms, all eligible pilots will undergo Transportation Security Administration (TSA) training. The TSA will be responsible for establishing protocols for carrying guns, including where they will be stored and what type will be used. This program will be reevaluated by Congress in three years. Also included in this bill is a provision for flight attendant self-defense training.

Until 1987, pilots were allowed to carry firearms without incident. Almost 70% of commercial airline pilots qualify with weapons as military officers, and many pilots fly armed with the National Guard or the Reserves. “As a former pilot, I know first hand the importance of a secure aircraft and crew,” said Congressman Cunningham. “Arming pilots is the first line of deterrence and the last line of defense against terrorists.”

“This is an air security issue. If we can trust pilots to safely fly large complex aircraft carrying human lives, we should also trust pilots with the tools to defend those lives that they are transporting,” said Cunningham. “Air passengers and pilots deserve to feel safe on board an airplane.”

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