U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Chairman
Contact: Steve Hansen (Director of Communications) (202)
225-7749
Email: Steve.Hansen@mail.house.gov
Justin Harclerode (Deputy Director of Communications)
(202) 226-8767
Email: Justin.Harclerod@mail.house.gov
To: National Desk/Transportation Reporter
July 10, 2002
U.S. House Overwhelmingly Approves Legislation Allowing
Airline Pilots To Be Armed To Combat Terrorist Attacks;
Bipartisan Amendment Expands Bill To Include All Qualified
Pilots
Washington, D.C. - The
U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved bipartisan
legislation that will allow for all trained and qualified pilots to carry
firearms to combat terrorist attacks aboard commercial aircraft.
The amended legislation was
approved by a 310 to 113 vote with 206 Republicans, 102 Democrats, and
two Independents voting in favor of final passage. Eleven Republicans
and 102 Democrats voted against passage of the bill.
The legislation (H.R. 4635)
was introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of
the Transportation Committee, and U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), the
Chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee - the two sponsors of the House-passed
aviation security legislation last year.
Bipartisan Amendment Expands Program To 100 Percent
Of Airline Pilots
A bipartisan amendment offered
by U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), John Thune (R-SD), George Nethercutt
(R-WA) and Joe Barton (R-TX) significantly increased the number
of pilots that will allowed to volunteer for screening and training for
the program. The DeFazio amendment will allow all commercial airline
pilots - about 70,000 - that want to undergo background checks, screening
and training to be eligible under the legislation.
The original legislation
that was brought to the House floor would have established a two-year test
program that would allowed up to two percent of the pilots - about 1,400
- to participate in the program.
“We Need To Expand Aviation Security To Include Arming
Trained & Qualified Pilots”
“It’s been eight months since
we passed the aviation security bill,” said Transportation Committee
Chairman Young. “When fully implemented, the numerous provisions
we created will indeed improve aviation security.
“But over the past several
months, we’ve seen the need to expand our security bill to include arming
trained and qualified pilots.
“On September 11th, eight
unarmed pilots, hundreds of passengers, and thousands of innocent people
were killed by terrorist hijackers. Today, armed F-16s are prepared
to make sure that this never happens again.
“I strongly believe that
under these new circumstances, that we must allow trained and qualified
pilots to serve as the last line of defense against such a potential disaster.”
Chairman Mica Calls On Senate To Act Quickly On Legislation
“Today, we took a critical step
towards preventing future terrorist attacks similar to what happened on
September 11th,” said Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Mica.
“I urge the Senate to move quickly on this vital aviation security issue.
“America’s airline pilots
know best that they can both control their aircraft and defend their cockpits
when necessary. They have asked for the ability to defend themselves
and their passengers. Today, the House acted on this measure.
The Senate should do the same.”
Major Provisions Of The Legislation
Arming Trained & Qualified Pilots
-
Preference is given to pilots who are former military or law enforcement.
-
Pilots must undergo Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved
training before being deputized.
-
Before deputizing pilots, the TSA must establish the protocols for carrying
guns (i.e. type of gun, type of ammunition, where the gun is stored, pilot
interaction with the air marshals, ensuring the pilot does not take the
gun into the passenger cabin).
-
Stipulates that air carriers are not liable for damages arising out of
a Federal flight deck officer’s use or failure to use a firearm.
Training Law Enforcement Officers To Assist Air Marshals
-
Requires the TSA to conduct a classified study on the feasibility of providing
anti-terrorism training to all Federal law enforcement officers, so they
may assist air marshals when traveling on other official business.
Training Flight Attendants
-
The Under Secretary must issue a rule that would require air carriers to
offer both classroom and hands-on training in self-defense for flight attendants.
Training will include elements on recognizing suspicious activities, communication
and coordination with other crew, methods to restrain an attacker, and
the use of available items aboard the aircraft for self-defense.
It also requires training in the proper conduct of a cabin search.
-
Directs the Under Secretary to establish the required number of hours of
training and the qualifications for the training instructors, as well as
the intervals, amount, and elements of recurrent training. Air carriers
must provide the initial training required by this provision within 24
months of the date of enactment of this Act.
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