Copyright 2002 The Washington Post

The Washington Post
May 24, 2002 Friday
Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A08

LENGTH: 371 words

HEADLINE: Drive Launched on Hill To Allow Pilots to Arm

BYLINE: Sara Kehaulani Goo, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:


Capitol Hill lawmakers yesterday began marshaling support for legislation that would circumvent a Bush administration decision to bar commercial airline pilots from carrying guns and would require self-defense training for flight attendants.

A group of senators led by Robert C. Smith (R-N.H.) introduced legislation yesterday that called for arming pilots and also would require attendants to carry a wireless device with a panic button to alert the cockpit crew to land the plane in case of an emergency.

House Republicans who several weeks ago introduced legislation only to arm pilots are now considering changes that would also provide some defense training for flight attendants, after the attendants contended that not enough attention was being paid to the cabin and passengers.

The bill probably will have enough votes to pass in the House, Republican and Democratic aides said. But the companion Senate bill faces a tougher road. Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) strongly opposes it.

On Tuesday, John W. Magaw, director of the federal Transportation Security Administration, said he would not allow pilots to carry guns because the pilots' job is to fly the plane. He said air marshals should protect the passengers.

An aviation security law passed by Congress in November gave Magaw the authority to decide what kind of weapons, if any, flight crews could carry to prevent another disaster like the hijackings on Sept. 11. The White House and Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta have said they oppose arming pilots with guns.

Flight attendants and pilots had been at odds over how best to protect themselves and passengers from attackers.

The nation's largest pilots unions want pilots to have guns in the cockpit as a "last line of defense." Flight attendants had opposed arming pilots unless attendants had some kind of nonlethal weapon, such as a 16-inch metal baton, to defend passengers and themselves.

Yesterday, the unions representing the pilots and flight attendants reconciled their differences and joined in a news conference to support the Senate bill. "We wanted legislation that got the entire flight crew together," Smith said. "We're not enemies here."

LOAD-DATE: May 24, 2002