USA Pilot Gun Bill Passes, Due To Be Signed By 22/11
Senator Bob Smith's Bill to allow US pilots safely trained in gun handling to take firearms into cockpits, is due to be
signed into law by Thanksgiving, (today).
The Sporting Shooters Assn. of New Zealand recently called for our government to recognise the legitimacy of these
incoming pilots being armed and to make provision in our domestic law and policies for them to do so.
With properly loaded bullets, such guns do not pose a risk to aircraft as they do not significantly damage the fuselage
and all aircraft hydraulic systems have fail-safes. While it's entirely possible that passengers could could hurt in
desperate shoot-outs, it's also possible that every one of them die and take 5,000 others with them if pilots are not
armed.
Those who don't wish to fly on flights where pilots may be armed, (American planes), should chose other airlines where
only terrorists may be armed. If we routinely trust a pilot with 300 lives and a $ 50 million airplane, why, with proper
training, wouldn't we trust him with a gun ?
Hoplophobes, (those unreasonably scared of guns), should also avoid Israel's El Al airlines where pilots and stewards
have for the last 33 years been armed. The only dramatic consequences of this policy has been that El Al planes have not
been hijacked in 33 years.
SSANZ Spokesman John Dyer 09 832 1724
Press Release From The Office of Senator Bob Smith
November 16, 2001
SENATE PASSES AVIATION SAFETY BILL
Smith Amendment to Arm Pilots Included in Bill
WASHINGTON, DC – Measures authored by Senator Bob Smith allowing for commercial airline pilots to be armed, and
requiring cockpit doors to be reinforced, were included in the House-Senate compromise version of the Aviation Security
bill that passed the Senate unanimously this morning.
Smith today said he is pleased that President Bush and his colleagues in the U.S. Senate agreed with him that arming
properly trained pilots “is the first line of deterrence and the last line of defense, in airline safety.”
“Today’s final passage of my armed pilots amendment is a great success for the pilots who have been so vigilant in
pushing this issue, and for the flying public who want to know that the cockpits have been secured, and pilots will be
able to defend them with arms...as a last resort,” said Smith.
President Bush is expected to sign the bill before Thanksgiving.
The Senator noted that earlier this week, he received thousands of petitions from pilots and concerned citizens all
across the country calling for the arming of airline pilots in cockpits. Bob Giuda, an airline captain and State
Representative from Warren, N.H., presented Smith with the petitions on Wednesday and said they were inspired by Smith’s
meeting with N.H. pilots in September and by Smith’s legislation.