Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
July 11, 2002 Thursday Home Edition
SECTION: News; Pg. 3A

LENGTH: 651 words

HEADLINE: House votes to let pilots carry guns;
Chances for bill's passage appear poor

BYLINE: EUNICE MOSCOSO

SOURCE: Cox Washington Bureau

BODY:
Washington --- The House voted Wednesday to allow more than 70,000 commercial airline pilots to carry guns aboard planes.

But the bill, approved 310-113, has little chance of becoming law. It faces strong opposition in the Senate and objections from the White House, which opposes lethal force in the cockpit.

The surprise vote came as the House considered a plan by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to create a two-year test program to arm about 1,400 pilots.

"Today, armed F-16s are prepared to shoot down any commercial jet that is hijacked by terrorists," Young said. "We must allow trained and qualified pilots to serve as the last line of defense against such a potential disaster."

The House approved an amendment by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) to open the program indefinitely to all pilots who pass a federal Transportation Security Administration training course. The pilots would become deputized as federal law enforcement officers.

The final bill also includes self-defense training for flight attendants and gives the Transportation Security Administration 90 days to act on an airline's request to give pilots and flight attendants nonlethal weapons.

"America's pilots want to do all they can to prevent another Sept. 11," Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said. "That means letting pilots and flight attendants protect their passengers, themselves and their aircraft like never before."

In a new aviation security law passed in the fall, Congress gave permission for pilots to be armed with both guns and nonlethal weapons, such as stun guns.

But the measure states that any decision must be approved by the Department of Transportation.

As part of DOT, the new Transportation Security Administration has rejected firearms in the cockpit. It said federal marshals and stronger cockpit doors would be enough to protect aircraft.

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

"Members of Congress now understand what the American people have known for months: only lethal force can stop lethal intent," said Al Aitken, an American Airlines pilot and spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 14,500 pilots.

"Americans trust pilots with their lives every day. Arming them with a lethal weapon is simply an extension of that trust," he said.

The National Rifle Association also supports arming pilots.

But gun control advocates say that having a weapon could make the pilot more of a target and could lead to situations in which passengers are endangered.

They say that only the anonymous sky marshals aboard many flights should have guns and that pilots should focus on flying the aircraft.

During the daylong House debate Wednesday, some lawmakers also expressed concern about the bill.

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) said the measure has a major flaw: forcing airlines to allow their employees to carry guns to work. "We don't give the airlines a choice," Ehlers said.

In response, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said that the legislation protects airlines from liability and that "pilots deserve ample protection," no matter what individual airlines decide.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) joined forces with Sen. Robert Smith (R-N.H.) to support a security measure that includes arming pilots.

"Until I am satisfied with the number of air marshals on commercial flights, this bill is a necessity; indeed it is a matter of life and death," Boxer said during a Capitol Hill news conference.

In an effort to move the legislation, Smith said he might try to attach it to a large spending bill or to one that establishes a new homeland security department. "We're not going to give up on this," he said. "Our job is to get it to the president's desk."

GRAPHIC: Photo: Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), flanked by Sens. Robert Smith (R-N.H.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) voices support for allowing airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit. A bill passed Wednesday by the House faces opposition. / DENNIS COOK / Associated Press

LOAD-DATE: July 11, 2002