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Armed Pilots Bill Flies Through House
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"...[T]he overwhelming majority of U.S.
Representatives are officially on record as supporting this idea... an exceptionally
strong bi-partisan vote of 310 - 113..." |
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Rep. Thune (R-SD) |
Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) |
Virtually every poll on the subject of arming properly trained pilots as
a last line of defense against terrorist hijackers has shown
overwhelming support for the idea - both from the general public and
commercial airline pilots - and now the overwhelming majority of U.S.
Representatives are officially on record as supporting this idea, as
well. On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed H.R. 4635 on an exceptionally
strong bi-partisan vote of 310 - 113. NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox,
responding to Wednesday's action, stated, "Passage of H.R. 4635 is
meaningful progress in efforts to prevent the prospect of another
terrorist takeover of a commercial passenger airplane."
When H.R. 4635 was originally introduced by U.S. Representatives John Mica
(R-Fla.) and
Don Young (R-Alas.), it sought to establish a program
to train and equip all commercial airline pilots who wished to be
prepared to use firearms as a last resort to defend the cabins of
commercial aircraft from hijackers. During committee debate, however,
the bill was amended, and when it was brought to the House floor this
week, the legislation had changed to a two-year test program that would
have allowed for up to 1,400 pilots to take part. Wednesday saw a great
deal of debate on the House floor, as several amendments were
discussed.
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"...Would VPC actually
prefer the horrific scenario of hijacked airplanes being shot down by
our own military rather than give pilots a fighting chance against
terrorists?..." |
Of paramount concern was an amendment offered by
U.S. Representatives
Peter DeFazio (D-Or.) and
John Thune (R-S.D.) that returned the scope of
the legislation to include any properly trained pilots, and made the
program permanent. The DeFazio-Thune Amendment was agreed to on another
strong, bipartisan vote of 251 - 172. Passage of this amendment was
possible thanks to the strong floor leadership of its authors, as well
as Representatives Joe Barton (R-Tex.),
Randy "Duke" Cunningham
(R-Calif.),
John Mica,
George Nethercutt (R-Wash.), and
Don Young.
Of course, most of the more strident opponents of our Right-to-Keep-and-Bear Arms
continued to put their anti-gun extremist agenda above the
interests of airline security, and those voting against H.R. 4635
included many familiar names, including the House Minority Leader,
Representative Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), and Representatives Diana DeGette
(D-Colo.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), and Lynn Rivers (D-Mich.). But
there were some surprise supporters of the bill who can normally be
counted on as automatic anti-gun votes, including Representatives
Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.),
and Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.).
With the House passage of H.R. 4635, the focus on arming pilots now
moves to the U.S. Senate, where that chamber's version of the bill, S.
2554, faces a more difficult journey. That bill is currently
languishing in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee, where the Committee Chair, Senator Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.),
opposes the legislation and has refused to even allow it to be scheduled
for a hearing. But even the Senate has seen one of its most anti-gun
members come out in support of arming pilots. Senator Barbara Boxer
(D-Calif.), who has written, promoted, and voted for many anti-gun bills
during her tenure in the Senate, has signed on to S. 2554 as one of 14
co-sponsors.
Even though Senator Hollings appears poised to do everything in his
power to derail the bill, NRA remains committed to working with
supporters of H.R. 4635 and S. 2554 to ensure the armed pilots program
becomes reality. NRA-ILA's Cox commented, "Soon after September 11,
many pilots and their unions contacted the NRA appealing for our help in
their effort to protect their cockpit from future terrorist attacks. We
were happy to assist them in the passage of H.R. 4635. We will continue
our efforts to ensure Senate passage of this measure."
And with the
inclusion of language that provides for self-defense training for flight
attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants has also thrown its
support behind the House and Senate bills.
NRA Executive Vice President
Wayne LaPierre told the Associated Press, "There's going to be
overwhelming pressure on the Senate to pass this [legislation]."
One of the few voices opposed to arming pilots is the radical gun-ban
organization the Violence Policy Center (VPC), which has denounced the
actions of the House of Representatives, and is calling on the Senate to
reject allowing pilots the option of being equipped to defend against a
repeat of the attacks of September 11. VPC legislative director Kristen
Rand stated, "If firearms are absolutely necessary, they should [only]
be carried by trained air marshals," thus rejecting the idea that
pilots, who are trusted to fly complicated aircraft, can also be trusted
with firearms as a last line of defense against terrorist hijackers.
Rand must be aware of the widely known fact that there are not enough
air marshals to protect every flight. And if she actually understands
the legislation, she'd know the training armed pilots would go through
would be similar to the training air marshals receive. Yet her
organization is blinded by its hatred of firearms: Would VPC actually
prefer the horrific scenario of hijacked airplanes being shot down by
our own military rather than give pilots a fighting chance against
terrorists?
Quick action in the Senate on S. 2554 is critical, so now is the time
to contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to support this legislation.
Please contact your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to
cosponsor S. 2554, work to ensure the bill is brought up for
consideration, or support it being offered as an amendment to
legislation being considered on the Senate floor. Those on the Internet
can find additional contact information by using our "Write Your
Reps" tool at
NRAILA.org.
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Arming Pilots Takes Another Critical Step Forward (June 2002)
Remind All Lawmakers to Support Arming Pilots (June 2002)
Keep Up The Pressure on Magaw & Mineta (May 2002)
Magaw & Mineta Say "NO" to Armed Pilots (May 2002)
Call to Arm Pilots Grows Louder (May 2002)
Airline Pilots Petition President Bush (Apr. 2002)
Aviation Security Bill Includes Armed Pilots Language (Nov. 2001)
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