Senators Overwhelmingly Pass Pilot Gun Bill

Reuters | 9/05/02 | Susan Cornwell

[Ciexyz]

Way to go!

[fooman]

I say give the flight attendents the guns or tazers.

We dont wanna trick johnny from opening the cockpit door

[Feiny]

If Boxer believes that arming pilots will make the skies safer; I wonder why she doesn't think arming citizens will make the streets safer.

[Dialup Llama]

>If Boxer believes that arming pilots will make the skies safer; I wonder why she doesn't think arming citizens will make the streets safer.

Boxer herself carries, so I presume there is another reason for disarming the law abiding citizenry.

[GOPcapitalist]

I'm surprised Boxer didn't tack on an amendment mandating plains to be equiped with an onboard abortion clinic as a prerequisite for pilots getting to carry guns.

[GOPcapitalist]

plains=planes

[Mulder]

Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat, agreed to vote for the measure after sponsors agreed to include a provision requiring cockpit doors to be secured and locked during flight.

So pilots are not going to be able to use the bathroom or flirt with stewardesses during a flight?

Hollings is a complete moron.

[Marine Inspector]

PING.

Looks like those folks in Washington might have a smidgeon of common sense.

[Mulder]

"Those who want them and can use them and understand them should have the right to carry weapons," Burns said

We Americans do have the Right to carry weapons.

That issue was settled at Yorktown some 200+ years ago.

The only problem is the failure of our government to recognize that Right (along with a host of others).

[Nephi]

Looks like those folks in Washington might have a smidgeon of common sense.

How do you justify that leap? Perhaps, you aren't aware that it is going to cost $900 million to allow pilots to carry?

[Marine Inspector]

So, your against arming the pilots?!?!?

[patriciaruth]

Perhaps, you aren't aware that it is going to cost $900 million to allow pilots to carry

So? 9-11 cost New York City ALONE up to 95 BILLION dollars, and that doesn't count what it is costing America as a whole.

Perhaps you haven't read that al-Qaeda was planning a SECOND wave of terrorist hijacked planes for early 2002.

I don't know where you're from, but it ain't over yet, and some pilots definitely want to have a last resort to defend themselves and their plane and passengers the next time someone blows up the door to the flight deck and comes in to cut their throats.

[ccmay]

Tangentially, one thing I will miss is the occasional cockpit visit.

Once when I was flying alone as a kid of about 14, the pilot called me up to the flight deck on a 747 and let me sit in the jump seat for a while during cruise.

Another time I was flying with my Dad to England on British Airways. He is a former Royal Air Force fighter pilot of WWII vintage and so he sent his business card up to the captain with his squadron number written on the back. Of course the captain was a former RAF man too, so we both got invited up to sit in the jump seats for an hour and watch the Great Lakes roll past as my dad and the pilots bullshitted about the old RAF days.

Those days are sadly gone.

-ccm

[cricket]

Hope these pilots are 'armed and ready' soon. . .

[HangFire]

If Boxer believes that arming pilots will make the skies safer; I wonder why she doesn't think arming citizens will make the streets safer.

hmmm... logic?

[BruceS]

Boxer said she knew people were surprised at her support for the bill, since she was an advocate of gun control.

"This isn't about guns in the hands of criminals. This is about a trained pilot, who volunteers, most of whom have training in the military," Boxer said.

You see, there are criminals and there are pilots. Presumably, since I am not a pilot, I am a criminal.

[Nephi]

So, your against arming the pilots?!?!?

No. I'm just not willing to credit them with common sense, especially when allowing pilots to carry is going to cost $900 million!

[Nephi]

them = congress/administration

[Marine Inspector]

So, you would rather have untrained people carrying guns around?