Interesting debate this, based more on emotions and cultural background than on looking at facts, IMHO of course
1. If someone began trying to penetrate the cockpit door, would I do my damndest (sp?) to "rattle" his cage even if this risked injuries to pax and FA? Of course. This may or may not work well enough to stop the penetration.
2. If someone still penetrated the door to the cockpit, would I like to have something to defend myself with? Sure, Iīm only human with a will to avoid injury and stay alive! It will perhaps make me feel better during my everyday life, but I am not safer having such an option. Having a weapon in the cockpit will not stop a determined attack.
3. If/when entry has been made by determined terrorists I doubt theyīd be dumb enough to only send a few people in there. Anyone thinking that a brutal fight in such a small area allows the precision shooting required to instantly kill or incapacitate ONE assailant is simply living in a world made up from Hollywood films.
People when shot, depending on what theyīre hit with, donīt just fall over and die. If in doubt, check with the soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan or your local piloce officer. Being pumped up with adrenaline and drugs means that youīre very, very hard to stop.
3. Hey, there are lotīs of cases of Cubans and such hijacking planes! Yes, there has always been and will always be people that for various reasons try to hijack airplanes but
AFAIK no similar program has been started in the US prior to 9/11. See below for my take on why.
4. Out of bullets or, more likely, having the gun, whatever type, wrangled from my hands and weīre back to the same situation as never having had a gun there in the first place.
Conclusion: Having a weapon almost only serves as a morale booster for the individual carrying and for some PAX (most donīt know about it, some of those that do think itīs good and others donīt). It simply does no change for the outcome of determined terrorists. Can it make a difference when it comes to one or two "nutcases"? Yes maybe, but again the reason for this programme is not to combat that very old problem. Iīm not saying that the reason for the programme is to trick people into feeling safe but thatīs the end result.
In the end, the only way to prevent someone from taking control of the airplane is to make entry to the cockpit impossible.