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Airline Pilots Petition President Bush
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"...[P]olls 'indicate overwhelming support' from the general public for arming
flight crew members..." |
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Last November 19, President George Bush
signed into law the "Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001," which included language that
would allow properly trained commercial pilots, co-pilots, and flight
engineers to carry firearms aboard commercial airplanes. But thus far,
there has been no implementation of a program to train and equip flight
deck crew members who wish to be prepared to use firearms as a last
resort to defend the cabins of commercial aircraft from hijackers.
Because of this lack of action, several airline pilot organizations have
sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to intercede to ensure the
establishment of a program that will meet one of the intended goals of
the "Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001" - a means to ensure
that airline flight crews will be properly trained and equipped to act
as an effective last line of defense against terrorists or other
hijackers.
Along with the letter to President Bush, these organizations that
represent the concerns of airline pilots are also looking for public
support of their efforts. The letter to President Bush mentions that
polls "indicate overwhelming support" from the general public for arming
flight crew members, and an online petition has been set up at
http://secure-skies.org for people to show this support. The petition
will remain open until April 28, so those wishing to assist the pilots
should sign it ASAP.
Related Stories...
More About Federal Issues
Freedom Friendly Skies? (Jan 2002)
Aviation Security Bill Includes Armed Pilots Language (Nov 2001)
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