The Change in Airport Security from 9/11 The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in our country was remotely possible. Ever since that fateful moment, citizens in America are on their toes every day worrying about another attack happening. United States citizens have had to adapt and change in response to this fear of further terrorist assault on our country. One of the ways they have adapted is by changing their means of security concerning airline travel. Before the attacks on September 11th, Americans were under the assumption that an individual or group of individuals could not do such a devastating thing to humanity. Prior to 9/11 there was a lack of security in airports and on airplanes. “In 2001, airline security was minimal and was the responsibility of the airline. Passengers were asked a few questions by ticket agents before they passed through checkpoints with metal detectors that were calibrated to sound an alarm for anything larger than a small caliber handgun. If an alarm did sound, security at the checkpoint would... ... middle of paper ... ...st from hijacking the plane. Lastly, we know that up until 1987 it was common for a pilot to carry a handgun while they flew. Interestingly, it was actually required for a pilot to carry a handgun if he was carrying U.S. Mail up until that time (Hudson 1). Recently, the government has reverted back to its old ways and is allowing pilots to carry firearms if they go through a training program (Goo 1). “The Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDO) program was created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and has since trained 12,000 pilots on how to defend their aircraft against an attack” (Hudson 1). Pilots carrying handguns on a plane actually makes the plane a safer place because if a terrorist was trying to get into the cockpit the pilot would have enough time to arm himself with the gun and either detain the terrorist or if necessary shoot the terrorist.
Whether we would like to admit it or not there was a time, prior to September 11, 2001 when airline terrorism was a very real danger and it seemed as thought we averaged a hijacking or terrorist event every thirty days somewhere in the world. Gladly this wasn’t the case, in an online article I read there was a interview held with a person who spoke to my thoughts, he said “One example was a study I conducted on media coverage by the New York Times during a 17 -year, pre-9/11 period of 1978 to 1994. Among other things, I found that fatal airline events that involved jet aircraft that were hijacked, sabotaged, or destroyed by military action, which represented about 8% of the fatal airline accidents reported by the Times during that period, accounted for about 48% of all the airline accident articles in that period“ (T. Curtis, personal interview, September 11, 2009). Back then, it was easy to visualize a small suitcase being carried aboard an aircraft with a explosive inside, capable of ending the lives of everyone onboard men, women, and children; with no regard to age, sex, and religion.
After 9/11 there was a great increase in security nationwide. One major example of this is the number of agencies created as a result of 9/11. Among these agencies include the creation of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), the DHS (The Department of Homeland Security), the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and lastly the massive advancement of the US Coast Guard. Every one of the budgets of these agencies has doubled since 9/11. The creation of the transportation and security administrations primary goal is to improve the safety of all American Citizens traveling by plane. The TSA started implementing, new policies and new technological advancements.
If airport security was more advanced and carful as it is now, the hijackers would have never made their way on to the
On September 11th, 2001, four planes were hijacked, two planes hit the twin towers, one hit the pentagon, and one crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania. Since then the government has been doing everything it can to help with security at airports, in airplanes, and in everyday life. Even though the government has been trying to increase security, terrorists have still been successful. Since 9/11, the government has taken many steps to increase security and decrease terrorism. However, security has increased, while terrorism has not decreased.
“What time should we leave? Two hours in advance? Three? Four?” Millions of people ask these questions each year before boarding a plane. Between driving, security, walking to the gate, and getting settled, boarding a plane exhausts travelers. But out of all of these different activities, one frustrates and restrains travelers the most: TSA security. People ask why they need all this security, complain about the inconvenience it causes, and ultimately annoys people to no end. Created after 9/11, Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, nationalized airport security, increased screening duration, and supposedly increases security on flights. However, statistics say these added security measures never come to fruition and potentially cost more lives than they save.
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.
Thesis: The 9/11 attacks are the airports more restrictive on what you can bring on a plane.
Law abiding citizens should have the right to protect themselves against criminals. You are less likely to suffer an injury when attacked if you are carrying a handgun, as opposed to other methods of self-protection. The right to carry a concealed handgun is protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution states “the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed” (ProCon.org 1).Carrying a handgun could keep a lot of people from being killed during a public shooting incident. Concealed handguns protect citizens from violent crimes such as burglary and robbery. Most criminals are armed and you don’t have much of a chance of survival if you are not carrying a
The security procedures that are currently in place in the United States are very different from the security in 2001. Before the attack on September eleventh, security was not required to completely check each person for a weapon or destructive object. Now securities in airports have new
A big caution to arming pilots is because people are curious on how pilots are going to keep the firearm safe, and hidden from the hijackers and other passengers. To start off with, the pilots will not be able to have their own firearm just sitting anywhere in the cockpit. The government review concluded that if Congress authorized the program, pilots would be issued lock boxes for the transport of their weapons (Ott, Senate Backs Armed Pilots). The pilots have supported keeping their weapons in the cockpit, and the public has signified approval. To further that arming pilots is a great idea, some passengers are even agreeing with the statement, “If we trust him or her to take us aloft in an immensely complicated vehicle, by what means
Concealed pistols have always been an issue that the public wants to know more and more about. Most people who were born and raised in the outdoors agree fully on the legality of a concealed weapon, whereas people who were born in big cities where they did not hunt, shoot guns, or have a firearm in their house do not. This is a very large and argued about cultural issue. I personally am all for concealed carry of a firearm. There are many reasons for this such as personal defense, sense of safety, and the protection of others around me. There are some questions that are raised about the carrying of a concealed weapon such as “what states can I travel in with my firearm?”, “what is the process of applying for a concealed carry permit?”, and “can I enter a weapon free zone to stop a shooter?”. Concealed carry has proven able to reduce crime and lower the casualty rate of a shooter who enters a public area with the intent to kill as many people as possible. Some people argue that concealed weapons are just carried by people who are looking for trouble and that you can obtain a pistol without a background check. This will also be explored and explained thoroughly.
As of 2013, all 50 states allow concealed carry of handguns (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps), although a few states don’t require a permit and the standards for licensing vary greatly from state to state. In the U.S. most states are “Shall Issue” states. This means they will grant anybody a permit that meets certain guidelines such as being 21 or older and not having any felony convictions, a history of mental illness or domestic abuse. A handful of other states are “May Issue” states. In these other states, such as Maryland, a permit will only be issued if you can prove you need it. This can be a large obstacle and these states will usually only issue permits to people in the public eye, wealthy individuals that are well-connected or business owners frequently transporting large sums of cash (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps). Although the requirements and standards are different wherever you may live, one thing holds true- concealed carry permit holders are rapidly growing. The market for handgun training, concealed carry courses and smaller, more concealable handguns have opened up. When concealed carry was first gaining popularity there were two very different schools of thought. Some thought that violent crime would decrease, as criminals would fear the everyday person that just may happen to be armed. Others thought that having people carrying around concealed handguns in public would lead to an increase in violent crime with people losing their temper and shooting each other. When analyzing the data and crime trends, it is clear that with this influx of concealed carry permit holders there has not been a corresponding increase in violent crime.
“Their best defense against injury is to put no defense and give them what they want” (Kates). Critics may argue that concealed handguns are not an effective form of self defense. To the contrary, robbery and assault victims who used a gun were less likely to be attacked or suffer injury, “Neither a martial art skills nor chemical sprays provide a real option for victims faced by attackers who are stronger or armed” (Kates). People feel safer when they carry a concealed weapon because they feel that criminals will avoid attacking them. Citizens want to conceal carry a handgun because every day there are dangerous individuals who prey on the weak. In addition to that, concealed handguns are an effective non-lethal form of self defense a majority of the time. Gary Kleck from the Federal Bureau of Investigation “estimated that, 2 million to 2.5 million victims annually use handguns to repel criminal attackers” (Kates). The surprise of being armed is the advantage for the victim, which the victim has the disadvantage of knowing the time and place of being attacked. Concealed carry actually provides protection to citizens that do not carry because the criminals are not sure who is able to defend themsel...
Many pilots do not feel comfortable with having a weapon on board their aircraft during flight; however, this policy would not require pilots to have a weapon on board but merely an option. In Starks article, she utters, “Weapons would be optional. Under the proposal, pilots would not be required to carry firearms” (Stark). This is a good proposal since not all pilots feel comfortable with bearing a weapon on their flight. According to the articles, even if the pilot does not want to have a weapon on board the aircraft, he or she will still be put through the training and tests as a pilot who wants to conceal a weapon on board.
First, and foremost many handguns have claimed the lives of too many people. This is a very serious issue we must tackle globally not just in the United States. The same problem is killing our past, present, and future. Gun violence has claimed the lives of so many Americans that we are the leading country in crimes committed by guns. These guns are claiming the lives of people ranging from babies to adults to even the elderly. Handguns are just causing too many deaths.