The House has finally approved a bill allowing airline pilots to cary sidearms. The bill is expected to face an uphill battle in the Senate, which proves that while the Senate was supposed to be the more sensible Congressional body, it isn’t always true.
Look, pilots are responsible for their passengers lives every time they step on a plane. To say that they’re not responsible enough to carry a weapon is utter tripe. Furthermore, this notion of depressurizing the cabin with a few bullet holes is equally preposterous. A 747 is designed to maintain cabin pressure if five windows blow out. One could expend an entire clip and not produce that kind of damage. The threat of an errant bullet hitting a control surface is also far less likely than the possibility of a hijacking being foiled by an armed pilot.
The real reason for this opposition is due to a stigmatization of guns that transcends all reason or common sense. Unfortunately, even if more lives are lost due to hijackings that could be prevented by armed pilots, it’s unlikely that the radical anti-gun crowd would change their tune.
