Today we have flight crews in the US being stopped for possessing nail clippers - now with an impending new law, they will be able to carry hand guns onto the a/c??? Imagine the security screeners faces when the same person they confiscated a nail clipper from two weeks earlier now returns with a .357...and is allowed through.
As mentioned in previous posts, theft is going to be an issue and what about crews dead heading??? OK, so maybe they'll have to introduce more elaborate identification techniques such as biometric scanning, however for US crews travelling internationally, what are they going to do when going through security or better still, commuting on another carrier? And out of uniform...
I'm just amazed at how the apparent "world's leading country" can be so backward when it comes to aircraft security. With all the money being spent on enhanced pax screening and reinforced cockpit doors, surely its better not to have ANY gun on an a/c. And from recent reports, any person even remotely attempting to unlawfully enter the flight deck is being pounded by concerned pax before being “restrained”.
I can see the accident report now...flight crew bored, were showing each other their weapons when one of the guns accidentally discharged, fatally wounding one crew member and puncturing the fuselage, leading to a rapid de-pressurisation...(now think about the possible outcomes). No matter what the rules will say, I have no doubt there will be some pilots on longer segments that will want to talk about/show-off their "piece".
Of course, not growing up in a country where it is a "right" to bear arms has no doubt affected my sense of normality. Then again, what’s the crime rate in the US with guns vs a country like Australia?
In my opinion, not the greatest saftey measure to be put forward.
