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IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10, 2002 |
CONTACT MICHAEL JAHR |
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HOUSE PASSES BILL TO
ARM PILOTS FOR AIRLINE SECURITY WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. John Hostettler today voted to allow airline pilots to voluntarily carry firearms in order to protect commercial airlines against terrorist attacks. The Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act included an amendment offered by Hostettler to require airlines to allow pilots and flight officers to voluntarily carry firearms into their cockpits. The bill passed 310-113. “These are the people we entrust with our lives every time we board a flight, and the majority of them possess distinguished military backgrounds,” said Hostettler during debate on the bill. “These are the ones who are trained in responding to life-and-death situations in a moment’s notice. We allow law enforcement officers, animal control officers and forest rangers to carry their weapons on airplanes. Why not the individuals entrusted with the safety of the plane?” Hostettler’s amendment prevents air carriers from firing those pilots who join the flight deck officer program and ensures that air carriers cannot prohibit them from flying their aircraft. “I want to ensure that terrorists know that if they try to hijack one of our airliners, in all likelihood, they will not succeed,” Hostettler said. Hostettler pointed out that if the pilots are not the last line of defense against terrorists, the alternatives are grim. He recounted a recent Armed Services Committee hearing where he asked the Commander in Chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, General Ralph Eberhart, about plans to shoot down a commercial airline if it is commandeered by hijackers. “‘Regrettably, I’m afraid that [shooting down a hijacked commercial airliner] is always going to be a possibility now,’” Hostettler quoted the general as saying. “‘We redefined it on 9/11, and we now train for that. We’ve established the procedures for that. We exercise for that, hoping that that would never happen. But hope is not a good strategy.’ “General Eberhart’s remarks are obviously very telling,” Hostettler continued. “If terrorists get control of a commercial airline the only alternative is for the Air Force to shoot it down. Doesn’t it seem reasonable to insert one more preventative step before an F-16 launches a missile at a passenger plane?” A number of recent events revealed that airport security is not what it should be and confirmed the need for pilots to carry firearms to protect their cockpits. It was recently reported that checkpoint screeners at 32 of the nation’s largest airports failed to detect fake weapons - guns, dynamite or bombs - in almost a quarter of undercover tests by the Transportation Security Administration last month. The tests were done by agents who were told to avoid trying to conceal the simulated weapons as they passed through screening checkpoints. Overall, screeners missed simulated weapons in 24% of the tests. Simulated bombs were missed in 30% of the tests. This bad news follows the Justice Department’s announcement in April that 450 workers at 15 airports were arrested for immigration violations and for lying about criminal backgrounds in order to gain access to secure areas. - 30 - |
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Office of United States Representative John N. Hostettler - Updated July 10, 2002 |
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