Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 1, 2002 Wednesday, Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 1A

LENGTH: 826 words

HEADLINE: Political duel on arming pilots

BYLINE: MARY LOU PICKEL

SOURCE: AJC

BODY:
Calls to arm airline pilots are growing louder, as supporters in Congress argue that guns in cockpits would provide a "last line of defense" against terrorist hijackers.

But the idea faces major hurdles, despite the rising rhetoric: Bush administration leaders have said they do not support giving pilots firearms, and there are differing views among labor unions and airlines.

U.S. Reps. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) intend to introduce legislation as soon as today to give pilots the option of having guns.

"They would be trained in the use of deadly force to defend the cockpit against immediate threats of violence or air piracy," Young said Tuesday at a Washington press conference.

The legislation, which would require pilots who volunteer for the training to pass background checks, is strongly endorsed by the Air Line Pilots Association.

Mica will conduct a hearing on the matter Thursday before his House Aviation subcommittee.

Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) spoke forcefully in favor of arming pilots in a speech last weekend to members of the National Rifle Association.

The political chance of success for any such measure is cloudy at best, however.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge have both said they oppose the keeping of lethal weapons in the cockpit.

But Mineta has not ruled out nonlethal devices such as stun guns, which have already been bought by United Airlines, DOT spokesman Lenny Alcivar said.

Congress last fall gave permission for pilots to use firearms as well as nonlethal weapons, but only if the Department of Transportation and the airlines approved.

The DOT is expected to announce its policy soon, Alcivar said.

The Young-Mica bill could be an effort to prod the White House toward allowing guns of some sort, some political observers suggest. There is serious doubt the bill would pass the House and make it to the Senate.

Such a plan doesn't fly with the major airlines, either.

"Delta does not support the introduction of lethal weapons inside the aircraft except by federal air marshals or other currently authorized law enforcement officials," said John Kennedy, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based airline.

As for stun guns: "We view less-than-lethal weapons as ineffective against multiple threats in a cockpit defense scenario," Kennedy said.

United, however, has bought 1,300 Taser stun guns at a cost of $750,000, spokesman Joe Hopkins said. It still needs DOT approval to field them in the airline's cockpits.

United has trained about one-third of its 9,000 pilots on use of the stun guns. Two of the weapons would be stored in each cockpit, Hopkins said.

The stun gun, which looks like a pistol, shoots a dart that is attached to wires that are rooted to the barrel of the gun.

"You get a jolt of electricity into somebody's chest, then you can subdue them," Hopkins said. The stun gun has a range of 15 feet, he said, and in tests did not damage a plane's instrument panel when fired at it.

"The Taser is the better response to the intruder because with a gun you could shoot yourself, you could damage the aircraft or you could shoot the wrong person, too. There are any number of unintended consequences," Hopkins said.

ALPA, the largest pilots union, argues that if a situation is so dire that a weapon is needed, a gun firing real bullets would be more effective than a nonlethal device.

"If a terrorist is breaking into the cockpit door and you shoot him with a firearm, that's pretty conclusive," ALPA spokesman John Mazor said.

"The gun in the cockpit is going to be used only when there are determined terrorist hijackers trying to get into the cockpit," he said.

"Then you have two alternatives. Option A: The terrorists break through the door and crash the plane into the ground, killing everybody. Or Option B: Anything short of Option A has to be better."

Mazor dismissed concerns that bullets flying through a plane at high altitude could puncture the fuselage and cause a catastrophic decompression.

"The risk of the airplane blowing up from explosive decompression is vastly overrated," he said.

A leading flight attendants union opposes lethal weapons in the cockpit, but supports stun guns for pilots and flight attendants.

"We'd prefer that the pilots, who are locked behind reinforced doors, concentrate on flying the plane and landing it and not have to worry about a gun," said Dawn Deeks, spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants.

Flight attendants, who would be left to struggle with potential hijackers who hadn't made their way into the cockpit, should be trained to use a stun gun, she said.

"It would be used when there's serious physical abuse by someone on another passenger or a flight attendant," Deeks said, "or when someone is trying to breach the cockpit."
 
--- Washington correspondent Eunice Moscoso contributed to this report.

GRAPHIC: Photo:
Airline pilots Steve Lucky (left) and Jamie Lindsay attend a news conference Tuesday as Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) announces his proposal to allow guns in cockpits. With Mica is his co-sponsor, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska). / RICK McKAY / Washington Bureau

LOAD-DATE: May 01, 2002