Airline Pilots Should not be Armed

The lack of security aboard commercial airplanes has become a concern for the government. Currently, unless there is an air marshal on board, the last defense of stopping a hijacked airplane is to have the military shoot it down so that it does not breech any more of the nation’s security. As a result, the idea of arming pilots and the rest of aircrew has been brought up to both the Senate and the House of Representatives (Bush Supports). The majority of government and people agree that it is a good idea to have guns aboard planes for pilots in the case of an emergency (Up in Arms). Both the Senate and House of Representatives voted to train pilots in the use of firearms. President Bush’s administration began to warm up to the idea of having firearms in the cockpits with the pilots.

Airport security is extremely essential for stopping terrorism in the United States. Bombings and explosions account for 65% of terrorist attacks, armed assaults account for 25% of terrorist attacks, the last 10% accounts for assassination facility attacks and hostage takings. Today the Transportation Security Administration, also know as the TSA, has four to five thousand employees working every day to keep airports safe from a terrorist attack happening. New technology has made airports safer for travelers, nevertheless not all travelers think it is necessary. Some travelers complain that because of the new security systems in the baggage checks and body scanners it takes too long to get to the flight. These passengers do not understand that airport security is effective and there are less terrorist attacks due to advanced technology and the TSA strengthening security of the nations transportation system.

As far back as 1955, terrorist threats against the airline industry have jeopardized the safety and security of airline passengers. This paper chronologically describes some of the events that caused preventive measures to be proposed and in fewer cases implemented. The fact that there is a terrorist threat against our nation’s airline industry has not changed, but the methods that these radicals employ to bring harm to travelers has grown much more sophisticated. The techniques in use by the government and the airline industry to prevent a catastrophic event have not kept pace. As the events of September 11th unfolded, it became obvious that the havoc a well-planned terrorist attack could wreak on a nation, or even the world had been taken to a new level. Nothing these terrorists did was novel, yet the idea of a well-coordinated attack using commercial aircraft as weapons of destruction was completely new. Now, as the images of hijacked airplanes plowing into the World Trade Center are still fresh in our minds, we must take full advantage of the emotion and will of the people as well as technology to bring effective airline security measures in line with current and future threats.

The Transportation Security Administration head John Magaw, announced the administrations position that they are against guns in cockpits and a pilot should give full, undivided attention to flying his plane. He believes that pilots can use their plane as their line of defense by landing it as quickly as possible and conducting in-flight maneuvers to keep the hijackers off balance (MSNBC 3). John Magaw believes that pilots have to make use with what they have. Captain Tracy Price, head of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance who supports equipping the cockpit with guns, stated, We advocate arming airline pilots with firearms to provide a last resort, final line of defense of passengers, crew and innocent civilians on the ground, in a press conference in Washington D.C. (Pilots 1). She believes that the pilots need more than just their own plane as a weapon against a hijacker, but a gun as well. But in truth, both of these opposing sides are working toward the same goal, to secure the cockpit and making the flying of an aircraft a safe experience for all of those on board.

Handling and operating an airplane comes with great risk, but these risks that are present are handled with very different attitudes and dealt with in different ways depending on the environment the pilots are in.

The movement of millions of passengers over distances thought impossible decades ago is symbolic of the modern air transportation era that is characterized by speed, comfort and personal convenience. The commerce of aviation, both the operation of commercial aircraft for profit and the development of aeronautical systems, is also an important symbol of national prestige and a powerful economic force. Safety in air transportation is therefore a matter of significant national importance.

Elias, Bartholomew. "Aviation Security: Outlook." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 2 May 2014.

Over the years the men and women that risk their lives by boarding planes under a false identity to protect us have been called many things. The names range from simple, “Sky Marshal” to more complicated “Civil Aviation Security Liaison Officers.” No matter what they have been called through the years one thing has always stayed the same. The United States Federal Air Marshals have always been a group of our finest law enforcement officers that give up the luxury traditional police work to sit next to crying babies and old talkative ladies all day. They do this with one goal in mind, to keep the airways safe for private citizens to enjoy the luxury of travel. “The history of the air marshals is closely rooted with the history of hijackings and bombings targeting commercial aircraft. Some of the bombings and hijackings throughout history had more of an impact than others on Federal Air Marshal tactics, manpower and security procedures. These events and the responses of those in civil aviation and the US government are essential to understand the need for air marshals as a last line of defense.” (Biles, 2013) With the rise of crime in the aviation sector the US government has gone to the Federal Air Marshals more times than not for protection of its citizens. It has not always been easy for them and they have not had the best funding around but as you will see throughout this paper, The US Federal Air Marshals have always answered when called upon.

A major plane crash can change hundreds of lives. If the U.S. government was not monitoring airport security, not checking bags and or passengers, then it would have allowed many dangerous people to board an airplane. The 21st century is on high alert for passenger safety because if a terrorist boards a plane it can truly be a devastating situation. Airport security is important for the safety of passengers. Risks are associated with flying; in order to assure safety, passengers need to receive full body screening. Some anti supporters say that this is not necessary and it can cause health problems. Although passengers do not like the security, airport security serves an important role for the safety of passengers and the safety of everyone.

Incidents is what makes the government look at the security measures they currently have in place. Many incidents has happened over the years since people began to fly, but only certain ones has provoked the government enough to institute change to the process and procedures of the how t...