Arming Pilots Essays

Arming Pilots Essays Arming Pilots Essay Arming Pilots Essay Protect Our People Please What do you do if someone is holding a gun in your face, and you have nothing to defend yourself with? Well that is the exact circumstance that we all have the chance of facing on a plane. Americans are expected to get on an airplane and feel safe and protected, but all that has happened on airplanes in the past ten years has left us fearful. We need to do something to make sure that we are safe on an airplane and that an American plane can never be hijacked again. We need to train and arm our pilots to ensure our safety on an airplane. Airplanes are massive and very complex pieces of machinery, and they help us get to places more efficiently and cheaper than traditional ways. Although we have seen that if airplanes are not handled properly in the sky, it will have detrimental effects on human lives on a massive scale. Hijacking or terrorism is one of the major causes of planes being made into death machines. Americans safety aboard airplanes should be of the upmost importance. There are numerous acts of terrorism that has occurred on commercial airlines, and there needs to be a stop to that. Although most terrorist attacks where a result of people wanting money or something to change in their country, but on September 11th 2001 the only goal that the terrorists had was to murder as many people as they could. Thousands of human lives were lost in the World Trade Center and Pentagon, millions of dollars, too. At any cost, we must never allow the high-jacking of September 11 to be repeated. This tragedy has made airline security the number one issue. Numerous measures such as baggage checks, identity checks, the presence of Sky Marshals on board and so on were proposed by airline companies, pilots, and security experts. Many of these measures are being implemented. But what if a terrorist gets by the security checks points, it is not like it has not happened before. One thing that did happen after the September 11th attack was that (West,1) â€Å"Congress did authorize the Department of Transportation to consider arming pilots†¦pilots unions have endorsed keeping weapons in cockpits, and the public has signified approval. Nearly two-thirds of those whom we trust to operate huge jets safely are former military aviators with firearms training, and skills-testing would not be a problem. Before September 11 many people had never had any fear of terrorism assuming that â€Å"something like that can only happen in a movie†. These days, most people would think twice before boarding a plane. In my opinion arming pilots would increase people’s confidence in airline security if they carried a gun and not just a weapon. As an alternative to firearms some experts propose arming pilots with s tun guns or guns equipped with specialized bullets. The projectiles would â€Å"disintegrate on impact† to ensure the safety of the aircraft. But they could do serious damage to the human body, which is fine in the case of hijackers. The planes cockpits already come equipped with crash axes, which could be used as weapons. (Scott, 3) A survey was given on October ninth asking how many people would agree to letting pilots be armed, and seventy five percent said arm our pilots. † The argument whether or not pilots should carry guns isn’t based upon facts and statistics, but on beliefs and assumptions. Obviously, a pilot carrying a gun reduces the possibility that hijackers could succeed in their task. Also, the majority of the American public feels safer just knowing that many pilots are beginning to carry weapons. For those passengers who don’t like the idea of pilots carrying guns, they should realize that they trust pilots every time they fly and that giving those pilots a gun is just showing a greater trust in them. Some people opposed to pilots carrying guns fear for the safety of the passengers; they fear that a stray bullet may strike a passenger. What if the pilot shot numerous times at the hijacker and accidentally shot a passenger? Honestly, this is a very legitimate point. However, given the choice, most would choose a stray bullet to one passenger over the tragic deaths of thousands. People think that (Donnelly, 1) a few bullet holes in the plane will make something happen and cause the plane to go down. These people have no clue what they are talking about. Airlines have experienced explosions on planes without it crashing what will a few bullet holes do? Most pilots have a very strong opinion about this either for or against (Ko, 1) one pilot had argued that If we fail in security screening, profiling, baggage searches, security checks, and have a terrorist get on an airplane, which is very possible, what is our defense? he asks. All I am asking for is a fighting chance to save my passengers, crew, aircraft and people on the ground from a psycho or terrorist. Some people oppose having guns on board for numerous reasons. If a potential terrorist knows that a gun is on board, they could craft a plan to utilize it as part of a larger plan. The use of a locked cabin door and on-board air marshals seems like enough security. With tight airport security, it is almo st impossible for a hijacker to bring a gun or a knife on a plane. The most they would probably be able to get through would be a pair of box cutters. They would not be able to bring down the entire plane, or be able to bust open the pilots cockpit doors with a pair of box cutters. If the pilots had a gun, the hijackers could ambush the pilots when they came out of the cockpit and the hijackers would end up having the guns and the passengers would be defenseless. (Scott, 3) But what the pilots are trying to let people know is that you would have to go through rigorous testing and skills training to be considered, and that is to prevent another tragic even like September 11th. I do believe airline pilots should be armed because if the plane is being hijacked, that may be the only way to save lives if the plane has been overtaken by hostiles. I believe airline pilots should be armed to protect themselves and the passengers from hostiles. There are many U. S. Marshalls which are placed on airplanes to keep a hijacked plane from occurring, but I still believe it is a good idea for the pilots to be armed. The hijackers could get past the Marshall and make their way to the cockpit which would be a very dangerous scenario. If the pilot was armed, this could save hundreds of lives as the hostiles would not expect the pilot to have a weapon. I dont think we should take any chances after the attacks of September 11th. There should be a method, policy, procedure and training for the handling of the weapon. An action plan should be attached to the possibility of having to use the weapon. But, yes, pilots should be armed. The pilot should have to pass a psychological assessment, as they already have to. But, a pilot with a gun is no more dangerous than a pilot with a plane full of passengers, flying through the air. There are no police in the sky. Theres nowhere to run and hide up there. And, the pilot already has the responsibility of everyones life in his hands. So, he should be as equipped as possible to deal with that responsibility. Work Cited Donnelly, Sally B. Pilots Packing Heat. Time 160. 10 (2002): 31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. Ko, Marnie. Arm The Pilots. Report / Newsmagazine (Alberta Edition) 28. 1 (2001): 22. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. West, Woody. Arming Airline Pilots Is A Risk Worth Taking. Insight On The News 18. 23 (2002): 48. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. Scott, William B. Airline Pilots: Arm Us And They Will Come. . Aviation Week Space Technology 155. 20 (2001): 47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. Scott, William B. Battle Lines Drawn Over Arming Airline Pilots. Aviation Week Space Technology 156. 7 (2002): 45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2011.