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.

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