Copyright 2002 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.  
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
September 6, 2002 Friday Five Star Lift Edition
SECTION: NEWS ; Pg. A1

LENGTH: 819 words

HEADLINE: SENATE GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO COCKPIT GUNS;
WHITE HOUSE REVERSESSTAND, NOW BACKS PROPOSAL

BYLINE: Ken Leiser Of The Post-Dispatch News Services Contributed To This Report.

BODY:
Nearly one year after terrorist hijackers seized control of four airliners, the U.S. Senate approved on Thursday legislation that could allow commercial pilots to arm themselves.

Also, the Bush administration reversed its earlier opposition to the proposal and signaled that it is willing to work with Congress on a "cautious" approach to permitting guns in the cockpit.

Pilots' unions have lobbied for permission to carry guns as part of a multilayered aviation security program that includes tougher passenger and luggage screening, stronger cockpit doors and tighter security on the nation's airfields.

"We realize that people are fallible," said American Airlines first officer Al Aitken, a member of the Allied Pilots Association committee that has been lobbying on the issue. "So the last line of defense is that cockpit."

This summer, the House approved a similar measure allowing properly trained pilots to carry guns. Thursday's 87-6 Senate vote was on an amendment to a homeland security bill. The amendment was sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer,
D-California, and Bob Smith, R-New Hampshire. The Senate and    House willhave to work out the differences between the bills.

"We are obviously feeling very good about the passage of this amendment," said Air Line Pilots Association spokeswoman Anya Piazza.

In a letter to key senators, acting Transportation Security Administrator chief James Loy said Thursday that any legislation would have to address numerous safety, security and cost issues.

"Many of the federal law enforcement experts we consulted continue to have significant concerns about arming pilots. The airline industry shares these concerns," Loy said.

Loy stressed that any pilot permitted to carry a gun onto a plane be adequately trained, and that the training regimen would have to be designed "from scratch" and tested.

Pilots would be issued special lockboxes to carry guns to and from the aircraft. Cockpits would have to be outfitted with special sleeves to store the weapons.

Making sure pilots can comply with local, state and international gun-control laws raises many legal questions as well, Loy added.

Overall, the cost of arming, training and equipping all commercial pilots could reach $900 million up front and require $250 million be spent each year after that, he said. The agency's budget doesn't include that cost, raising questions about who will pay for it.

"Any program open to all pilots would be very expensive," Loy said.

Aitken, the American Airlines pilot, said earlier studies by the FBI and others suggested a program could be developed for one-tenth of the cost. He played down arguments citing the high costs of the program.

Congress originally laid the groundwork for armed pilots last fall, but left the final word with the Transportation Security Administration and the nation's major air carriers. Airlines have generally opposed arming pilots.

This week, top corporate officers of the major U.S. airlines warned that putting firearms on commercial aircraft without proper study "raises a serious and unnecessary risk" for both passengers and flight crews.

"We believe that allowing guns aboard every aircraft in the absence of comprehensive research and testing, and without full evaluation of the potential consequences, is ill-advised," board members of the Air Transport Association cautioned this week in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.

John Magaw, the former undersecretary for transportation security, who was forced out this summer, originally spoke out against the idea of arming pilots as well.

Pilots' groups were expecting the administration of President George W. Bush to propose a scaled-back program allowing just a tiny fraction of pilots to carry guns. But union officials said they have seen no formal mention of it so far.

Transportation Security Administration officials would not comment Thursday on the issue beyond Loy's letter.

Earlier Thursday, the federal government and airline officials said they are on course to meet a deadline of April 9 for installing stronger cockpit doors on about 7,000 aircraft.

The next generation of doors is touted as protection against intruders, guns - even grenades - and will replace the steel bars and locking devices that were installed on thousands of planes last winter.

By this fall, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to approve designs for reinforced doors that can be used on 90 percent of the aircraft fleet, said John Hickey, the agency's chief of aircraft certification. Designs that would work on most aircraft have already been approved by the FAA.

"We are prepared to be able to meet it," said American Airlines spokesman Stephen Tankel.

American Airlines - the major airline at Lambert Field - has already begun installing the stronger doors on some of its 1,100-aircraft fleet, Tankel said.

NOTES:
Reporter Ken Leiser:; E-mail: kleiser@post-dispatch.com; Phone: 314-340-8119

LOAD-DATE: September 6, 2002