I dont see how you could successfully carry a pistol and expect to carry out all the duties required of a Cabin Crew member.
Pistols are heavy, bulky and not verry easy to conceal, unless your airline makes you keep a jacket on at all times, and you wear it cross draw, or similar, but they are very tiring, and really do stand out very easily. (Im not Cabin Crew, but I do have Military experience, and a pistol is not much better to carry then a rifle as far as weight and bulk is concerned... and it is tiring to have it in a holster on a long flight i can imagine)
I agree with the proposal for non-lethal forms of restraint, suck as pepper sprays etc, with the obvious precaution of use when neccesary, as they can cause pretty serious side effects to a person who catches some of the overspray etc, even death if an allergic reaction is to happen. However, much less lethal then a 9mm round.... and easier to treat in a first aid situation.
As far as knowing the ins and outs of a firearm, well... It woudlnt be a bad thing I guess, I just wonder how many pistols find their way onto a flight, and in reality the best thing to do with it is leave it alone for the experts, on the assumption that the assaliant is restrained of course, as any ND or AD (accidental discharge) of the weapon will cause MAJOR problems... even if the round misses everyone, as it could penetrate the hull.
My opinion echoes the sentiments shown here by others, lets concentrate on keeping the pistols off the aircraft in the first place, and maybe some self defence training would be nice.
JB