Possumblog

Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

REDIRECT ALERT! (Scroll down past this mess if you're trying to read an archived post. Thanks. No, really, thanks.)

Due to my inability to control my temper and complacently accept continued silliness with not-quite-as-reliable-as-it-ought-to-be Blogger/Blogspot, your beloved Possumblog will now waddle across the Information Dirt Road and park its prehensile tail at http://possumblog.mu.nu.

This site will remain in place as a backup in case Munuvia gets hit by a bus or something, but I don't think they have as much trouble with this as some places do. ::cough::blogspot::cough:: So click here and adjust your links. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it's one of those things.

Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Panel wants to arm pilots
By Blake Morrison, USA TODAY

Two House transportation committee leaders, pushing to reverse the Bush administration's opposition to arming pilots, want to strip the new Transportation Security Administration of its power to rule on the issue. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, and Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., plan to introduce a bill Tuesday to let Congress decide whether pilots should be allowed to carry guns aboard commercial flights.

"We're hearing from the pilots groups in a near unanimous chorus that they want this last line of defense," said Mica, chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. "When they ask us for this ability to defend themselves, I don't think it should be denied." [...]

Although the TSA has yet to take a public position on the guns issue, administration leaders — including Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta — have said they oppose arming pilots. John Magaw, who heads the TSA, is expected to echo their sentiments this week.

Some aviation safety experts say they worry that guns would create hazards, from distracting pilots to accidental discharge or theft. The pilots unions say that a training program would address those concerns and that lethal force is the only certain way to stop hijackers. [...]

The same concerns voiced by those not wanting to arm pilots--"from distracting pilots to accidental discharge or theft"--can also be leveled at armed air marshals--in the end, if you don't trust the guy driving a gigantic flying bomb, you've got a bigger problem than whether he should be armed or not.

posted by Terry at 10:42:00 AM

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