Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
June 27, 2002 Thursday Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 1B

LENGTH: 530 words

HEADLINE: WAR ON TERRORISM: House panel votes to arm airline pilots ;
Bill would test letting 1,400 act as deputies

BYLINE: EUNICE MOSCOSO

SOURCE: Cox Washington Bureau

BODY:
Washington --- The House Transportation Committee approved a measure Wednesday that would allow about 1,400 commercial airline pilots to carry guns on board planes.

"Nothing else can provide the deterrence of an armed pilot protecting an otherwise vulnerable flight deck," said Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of a House aviation panel within the Transportation Committee.

The bipartisan vote reflects a strong feeling in Congress on the issue of arming pilots and puts lawmakers at odds with the White House, which decided last month against having guns in the cockpit. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

The measure --- backed by most airline pilots and the National Rifle Association --- calls for a two-year test program in which pilots who pass a federal Transportation Security Administration training course would become deputized as federal law enforcement officers.

Pilots with military or law enforcement backgrounds would be given preference, and the number of deputized pilots during the test period would not exceed about 1,400 --- roughly 2 percent of the total number of commercial airline pilots.

The bill also includes self-defense training for flight attendants, but the nation's largest union of flight attendants said the measure doesn't go far enough.

Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, blasted the committee for rejecting more detailed requirements on training for the flight crew.

In a statement, she said the bill was "one of the most blatant displays of sexism" in decades --- giving protection to pilots, 99 percent of whom are male, while failing the flight attendants, 85 percent of whom are women.

In response, Mica said that the flight attendants "don't gain any points . . . when they start juvenile campaigns."

Congress gave permission for pilots to be armed with both guns and nonlethal weapons, such as stun guns, last fall in the new aviation security law. But the measure states that any decision must be approved by the Department of Transportation, and the department's security administration has rejected firearms in the cockpit.

The Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing 62,000 pilots, has been lobbying aggressively for guns in the cockpit and worked closely with the committee on the bill.

The National Rifle Association also supports arming pilots. But gun control advocates say having a weapon could make the pilot more of a target and could lead to situations in which passengers are endangered.

In addition, they say that only sky marshals should have guns and that pilots should focus on flying the aircraft.

At Wednesday's hearing, some lawmakers also expressed concern.

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) said that the legislation unfairly forces commercial airlines to allow their employees to be armed.

"What's the next step?" he asked. "How about banks? Bank tellers confront armed intruders far more often than pilots do. Why don't we require banks to allow all of their tellers to carry guns if they wish to? I am very troubled by this bill."
 
* ON THE WEB: House Transportation Committee: www.house.gov/transportation

LOAD-DATE: June 27, 2002