Capt Pit Bull
If the flight crew are armed (as opposed to Sky Marshalls or anyone else in the Cabin), then the terrorists only gain possession of the weapons after they have secured the flight deck.
I don't agree with this. Take the following two scenarios:
Flight crew are unarmed. Terrorists rush the cockpit and proceed to subdue the flight crew by hand-to-hand. Cabin crew and passengers respond and should be able to subdue the terrorists. As you say, chaos might ensue, and God knows what will happen to the aircraft while this is going on, but nevertheless, it is a feasible scenario.
Second scenario: Flight crew armed. Terrorists storm the cockpit and manage to wrest control of a firearm before it can be used effectively by flight crew. Agreed, there is an undefined chance of success, but once again, this is a feasible scenario. Now, the terrorists can do what they want with impunity, and on top of it all, they have the force multiplier to even the odds against the cabin crew and passengers whose weight of numbres is now nullified.
I don't see how these two perfectly conceivable situations tie in with your assertion that I quoted above.
I don't think my analysis is faulty. On the contrary, I think your premise is faulty!
