Undersecretary for Transportation Security John Magaw had barely finished speaking to a Congressional committee on May 21 before a national firestorm erupted over his refusal to allow commercial airline pilots to fly armed. (See related Hindsight)
Magaw, formerly head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), was following the lead of anti-gun Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge. Both have steadfastly opposed arming pilots to prevent another disastrous terrorist commandeering of airliners like the ones that occurred last Sept. 11, even after Congress passed legislation that would have allowed it.
In response, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and John L. Mica (R-FL), with a some two dozen co-sponsors, are pushing a bill, HR 4635—known as the Young-Mica bill—that would allow pilots to carry guns if they take voluntary firearms training. Pro-gun Sens. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Frank Murkowski (R-AK), Zell Miller (D-GA) and Robert Smith (R-NH) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
After Magaw’s announcement, an angry Burns released a statement noting, “Pilots should be given this option as a last line of defense against hijacking. This legislation has a great deal of support from pilots, their unions, and many members of the flying public. We place our lives in the hands of pilots every time we board a flight, so it only makes sense that we provide them with the tools and options they need to safely and effectively do their job.”
Magaw drew considerable heat, not only from Capitol Hill, but also from airline pilots and travelers, and notably, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). It was CCRKBA that, last Sept. 11 just hours after the attacks on New York and Washington, DC, demanded that commercial pilots be allowed to carry guns in the cockpit.
The former ATF chief told the committee that guns in airplanes should be limited to sky marshals, who would “lay down their lives” to protect passengers and crews from terrorist hijackers. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb ridiculed that notion.
“That’s assuming there is an air marshal aboard in the event of a terrorist takeover,” he stated. “Magaw knows there are only enough marshals for a fraction of commercial flights, yet he would deny pilots a last line of defense. That is incredibly short-sighted, if not downright cavalier.”
Capt. Duane Woerth, president of the 62,000-member Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) quickly called upon Congress to pass the Young-Mica legislation, essentially taking the authority away from Magaw, Mineta and Ridge to make the call.
Woerth, in an emotional statement, noted that under current government plans, Air Force fighter jets would be authorized to shoot down a passenger plane under control of terrorists, killing everyone on board.
“In the face of such choices,” Woerth said, “we do not understand why these same government officials refuse to give pilots a last chance to prevent such a tragedy.”
Magaw, interviewed on the Fox cable channel on May 22, insisted it was the pilot’s job only to fly the plane. He contended that armed pilots might accidentally shoot a passenger in the event they had to shoot at a terrorist, yet he suggested that pilots should remain at the controls even if terrorists were harming passengers.
The irony of that position was not lost on Gottlieb, who remarked, “Capt. Woerth has the right idea, and certainly the more relevant perspective on guns in the cockpit than some career federal bureaucrat.”
David S. Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association (ATA), blasted Magaw in a statement to reporters: “Until we can ensure that hijackers . . . cannot get into the cockpit, there must be some lethal force to prevent them from commandeering the aircraft and doing massive damage with a huge loss of life.”
Joining Magaw, Mineta and Ridge in their opposition to armed pilots was the airline industry, which clings to the contention that guns in the cockpit have risks beyond those faced by a terrorist. Those officials also insist that passengers and flight attendants could be unintentionally injured.
A petition to Congress and the White House, sponsored by the Airline Pilots’ Security Alliance supporting armed pilots, which began circulating in early April, drew thousands of additional signatures following Magaw’s announcement, and a nationwide poll by Wilson Research Strategies found 68% of the respondents support the idea of armed pilots. Other polls also have shown continued similar public support.
The Fox network’s morning talk show “Fox & Friends” made arming pilots its question of the day on May 22, and among the responses published on their website was this: “Look who is refusing to arm pilots. Every one from Ridge to McGaw (sic) have a history of being anti-gun. This is not a matter of airline safety. This is the anti-gun agenda! For them to arm pilots would bring disfavor from the vocal anti-gun minority. Next, they would claim, that ‘citizens’ would expect the right to be armed. Perish the thought we are allowed our rights to self-preservation.”
Gottlieb summed it all up, noting, “On the one hand, you have a few officials including Magaw, Mineta and Ridge opposing guns in the cockpit. On the other hand, you have 62,000 airline pilots and millions of airline passengers supporting the idea. Congress should do the math and take the appropriate action.”
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