USAF transport pilots have been carrying guns for years as anti hijacking procedures.
Not one accidental discharge of a firearm ever.
Know all about it, done it for years.
How can this be verified? Do you think the military is going to publicize "friendly fire" in the cockpit?
The hijacker must come through the cockpit doorway so the pilot knows where the attack will come from. There is a reason why doorways are termed "fatal funnels." This is an incredibly easy shot to take. It does not require Olympic skill.
You forgot to mention a couple of things. The pilots are normally facing the same direction as the guys breaking through the doorway. Therefore, they not only need to turn around, they have to get thier weapon ready. I assume the pilot's wouldn't have their gun in hand at all times. If someone comes crashing through the "fatal tunnel" of a cockpit they have a disctinct advantage. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
I have always argued that arming pilots is a bad idea. It places a firearm in an area that should be completely free of lethal weapons. (Please don't start telling me that ANYTHING including a toothpick can be a lethal weapon)
My main argument with respect to arming pilots is based on crime statistics in the US. The majority of victims of violent crime in the US including assault with a firearm, are committed by a person known to the victim. Furthermore, there is an unsettling amount of people who are killed or injured by their own firearm. This statistic comprises people who accidently shoot themselves and people who are shot by an intruder or aquaintance.
These very real statistics don't factor in the assailant's profession but I would hazard a guess that a good cross section of society would include everything from doctors, lawyers, policemen, and pilots as well as career criminals, drug abusers and rapists.
For instance. The police chief of Tacoma shot his wife last month in front of his children. And how about that Egypt Air pilot who decided to kill everyone on the airplane. Hard to believe...but true.
Anyway, I have no reason to believe that these statistics would be any different for guns in cockpits. Some day, in the near future, there will be an incident where a shot is fired in the airplane or a gun will go missing. Hopefully nobody will be hurt. but instant public outrage will see an end to armed pilots. There is a good statistical possibility that it will happen within a year.
I for one would like to know if the crew is armed. I don't want to fly on an airplane with a gun on board.
So what's the alternative? Maintain and continue developing ways to screen passengers and potential weapons. Keep the knives, guns, bats, etc off airplans totally. Accept the fact that occasionally someone will make it through and cause a disturbance that hopefully will be mitigated by the security measures. This is the logical way to do things rather than increase the risk of danger by arming pilots.