FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - They're already allowed to carry guns in the cockpit, but many pilots say that's not enough to keep aviation as safe as it should be.
They want policelike authority to holster a weapon all day long, whether they're at the controls, riding in back of a plane or eating lunch in a terminal.
"That would put us in line with standard law enforcement," said Marcus Flagg, president of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Association, which represents thousands of armed pilots.
He declined to say exactly how many pilots now carry guns, but he said the number is just behind the FBI, which has about 13,800 armed agents. Since being given permission to pack heat 10 years ago, no U.S. pilot has ever had to draw a weapon against a passenger.
Just the same, Flagg said the goal would be to protect the cockpit against a terrorist attack and provide stronger protection to U.S. commercial aviation. Armed pilots are on five times more flights than federal air marshals and ultimately are the "last line of defense."
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Yet, as it stands, qualified pilots can't even go to the restroom holstering a firearm.
The Transportation Security Administration declines to say why it won't allow pilots to carry guns outside of the cockpit, other than to safeguard the traveling public. However, weapons experts say the policy likely is intended to eliminate the possibility of a troublemaker wresting a gun from pilot or of an accidental discharge while outside the cockpit.
Flagg said the chances of a pilot being stripped of his gun are slim.
"Yes, there is that possibility," he said, "but you're trained to protect against that."
During six days of intense training in Artesia, N.M., pilots not only learn how to handle weapons but also close-combat techniques. Further, passengers don't know whether a pilot is carrying a gun and that many ride in back out of uniform, he said.
