Pilots threaten strike if kept disarmed

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http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=5752

News - October 5, 2001

            Pilots threaten to stop
            service if kept unarmed
            By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
            Union Leader Staff

            Commercial airline pilots will be asked to suspend air
service if they cannot have trained,
            armed pilots in the cockpits, a New Hampshire pilot said.

            A resolution that will be circulated among the various
councils of the 67,000-member Air
            Line Pilots Association this month asks federal regulations
be changed to allow for the
            voluntary arming of flight crew members, Robert Giuda, a
United Airlines captain of
            Warren said.

            Had we had armed pilots on Sept. 11, we wouldnt have the
horrific tragedy that were
            dealing with at this point, Giuda said of the four hijacked
jetliners.

            Pilots would first get training in firearms by the FBI and
would use their weapons only to
            defend against an attempted breach of the cockpit, the
resolution said.

            The resolution also calls for federal licensing of pilots to
carry concealed weapons and for
            the government to indemnify air carriers and their employees
against the legitimate use of a
            firearm.

            If those steps are not carried out, the resolution calls for
a national suspension of air
            service, at such times and in such manner as is deemed
appropriate by the leadership of the
            Air Line Pilots Association.

            Were hearing members of Congress say they dont want a
bunch of armed hooligans
            running around, said Giuda, a New Hampshire state
representative.

            He said there was no more professionalized,
highly-scrutinized group of people in the
            world than airline pilots.

            The security of the flight deck cannot depend solely on
armed sky marshals, he said.

            Sky marshals can be picked out of a crowd and, if
overpowered, would provide a hijacker
            with a weapon, Giuda said.

            Its time to throw the gauntlet to the mat. We are going to
get politicized into unarmed
            cockpits and then well get shot with the guns the marshals
used because they will be taken
            away from them, he added.

            Arming pilots introduces the element of risk, fear and
doubt into the mind of a potential
            hijacker, he said.