I penned this several months ago:
To Whom It May Concern:
News reports are indicating that the Airline Pilots’ Association is proposing an initiative that would arm our nation’s airline pilots with pistols, stun guns, and other weapons. If such a plan is enacted, the basic nature of my entire career will not only be changed, but essentially will be completely transformed into something I am terrified to contemplate.
We are not marshals or security guards. We are professionals that are charged with the responsibility of safely transporting the public. Arming the pilots adds another level of responsibility that will be an incredible distraction to carrying out our jobs. If additional security arrangements are required, then let us use professionals specifically trained for the job, not pilots trying to learn the critical decision making skills needed to use deadly force from a short training course. Law enforcement officers constantly train to hone their skills with firearms and when to use them. How many accidental discharges occur each year in your local police precinct? Will a once-a-year training course give us the tools we need to properly carry out the additional responsibility associated with arming the pilots? I think not.
I’ve often heard it said that if you choose to have a gun at home you are more likely to shoot a family member than you are likely to shoot an intruder. Also, you are more likely to have that weapon turned against you. Do we want this aboard our nation’s airliners? ?
We must consider the exponential increase in risk that will come with arming pilots. The secured area of our airports will now be filled with pilots sporting guns. To prevent this we will need completely separate security checkpoints for armed crewmembers, and separate entrances to the airsides and jetways to keep us away from the public. We will need separate and secure flightcrew bathroom facilities to prevent opportunistic thefts of our weapons. We will also need to more closely monitor each pilot’s mental health in an attempt to prevent inappropriate actions with these weapons. I can only imagine how oppressive it will get.
Last week (Note: Oct 2001) my tweezers were confiscated at the security checkpoint in Oakland – while a passenger’s corkscrew was allowed through. Now, we’re considering allowing guns? Absolutely not! The members of the National Rifle Association must be slapping each other on the back as they listen to these rash proposals.
Please mark me down as completely against guns in the cockpit. If they are allowed, please mark me down for a desk job. I am not a cop, I am a pilot. I don’t allow guns in my home and I certainly will not live with one in my cockpit. Even if such a program is voluntary, I absolutely will not have a gun in the cockpit with me – period.
Respectfully,
<name removed for pprune post>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
That's all I have to say!
AKAAB
