Terrorist's Worst Nightmare

662 Words2 Pages

The first reason that pilots should be allowed firearms is to simply discourage terrorists from hijacking that flight. Senators say that giving pilots firearms would be another layer of protection against attacks like those on September 11. “We don’t have a 100 percent guarantee that it won’t happen again, but we can sure as heck cut the odds,” said Sen. Bob Smith (Levin 1). It takes a long time for a terrorist to plan a hijacking, and arming the pilot adds another obstacle which they must overcome. This extra step will be what it takes to dissuade the terrorist. The best way to cut the odds is to give the one person who is the most motivated to protect the plane, the means in which to do so. Capt. Duane, the Union President, said “The government has already told us that if terrorists take control of one of our cockpits, they will send military aircraft to shoot down the airliner and all of its crew and passengers. In the face of such choices, we do not understand why these same government officials refuse to give pilots a last chance to prevent such a tragedy” (Madden 1). Pilots want and deserve the ability to defend the plane, as a last resort, should the need arise. Terrorists will be discouraged by a pilot with nothing to lose in this last attempt at defending their plane. The next reason pilots should be armed is because it creates a sense of safety for the passengers. When the pilot is armed the passengers will be more relaxed and not afraid of a terrorist attack. In the article “In War, Law Is Silent” O’Brien said: What happened on September 11 is unparalleled by anything we have ever known. The attacks killed more than 5,000 people, injured tens of thousands more, and caused economic hardship and grief to... ... middle of paper ... ...f.” USA TODAY: n.p. 2002. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 . Levin, Alan. “Senate Supports Arming Commercial Pilots.” USA TODAY: n.p. 2002. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 . Madden, Mike. “Pilots Will Not Carry Guns.” Gannett News Service: n.p. May 21 2002. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 . O’Brien, Ed. “In War, Is Law Silent?” Social Education Vol.65 no.7. Nov./Dec. 2001: 419-425. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 May. 2014. Okada, Bryon. “Some rules for arming pilots in cockpits draw complaints. Fort Worth Star- Telegram (Fort Worth, TX): n.p. 2003. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 . Stevens, Richard. “The Six Things Americans Should Know About the Second Amendment.” The Bill of Rights Sentinel: 2001:31-33. JPFO.net. Web. 4 May. 2014.

Open Document