WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman John Linder (R-Gwinnett) today voted in favor of the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (H.R. 4635), which would allow more than 70,000 commercial airline pilots to volunteer to carry handguns in the cockpit as a last line of defense against a terrorist hijacking. Also included in the bill is a provision that requires air carriers to offer more self-defense training to flight attendants. Rep. Linder is a co-sponsor of today’s legislation.

“Since we will never be able to have air marshals on every single flight in the United States, we should at least give some pilots the right to defend themselves, their passengers, and the country. The usual anti-gun crowd will say that we can’t trust pilots with that responsibility. If that were true, then we wouldn’t trust them with 300-ton planes, either,” Linder said.