Devildogg4ever
08-27-03, 04:05 AM
Fewer than 200 are trained nearly 2 years after Sept. 11
August 27, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The government said Tuesday it hopes to arm a few thousand commercial pilots with firearms within the next year, but some aviators claimed the pace is too slow and the voluntary program is flawed.
Separately, government and labor sources said efforts to arm other pilots with stun guns have effectively stalled due to little interest from financially struggling carriers to invest in equipment and training.
On lethal force, the Transportation Security Administration fended off criticism from some pilots who claim it is deliberately discouraging participation in its firearms plan with ludicrous levels of background and psychological checks and other drawn-out procedures.
"Fewer than 200 armed pilots are not enough almost two years after the events of Sept. 11. Although some training is being conducted currently, there needs to be a radical acceleration," said Bob Lambert, a captain with United Airlines.
The TSA would only say that a few thousand pilots had applied and virtually all have passed background checks and have been cleared for training similar to federal law enforcement firearms and self-defense courses. But each weekly class is limited to 50 people.
"Those pilots who would criticize us are off base," said John Moran, who oversees the firearms program for the TSA and says the government wants to make sure that pilots can safely handle handguns. "We are working as fast as possible."
Duane Woerth, president of the nation's largest pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, said he was disappointed with the time it took to develop a firearms program. He encouraged the government to speed things up but did not oppose the security and psychological screening or training methods that have been adopted.
http://www.freep.com/money/business/air27_20030827.htm
August 27, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The government said Tuesday it hopes to arm a few thousand commercial pilots with firearms within the next year, but some aviators claimed the pace is too slow and the voluntary program is flawed.
Separately, government and labor sources said efforts to arm other pilots with stun guns have effectively stalled due to little interest from financially struggling carriers to invest in equipment and training.
On lethal force, the Transportation Security Administration fended off criticism from some pilots who claim it is deliberately discouraging participation in its firearms plan with ludicrous levels of background and psychological checks and other drawn-out procedures.
"Fewer than 200 armed pilots are not enough almost two years after the events of Sept. 11. Although some training is being conducted currently, there needs to be a radical acceleration," said Bob Lambert, a captain with United Airlines.
The TSA would only say that a few thousand pilots had applied and virtually all have passed background checks and have been cleared for training similar to federal law enforcement firearms and self-defense courses. But each weekly class is limited to 50 people.
"Those pilots who would criticize us are off base," said John Moran, who oversees the firearms program for the TSA and says the government wants to make sure that pilots can safely handle handguns. "We are working as fast as possible."
Duane Woerth, president of the nation's largest pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, said he was disappointed with the time it took to develop a firearms program. He encouraged the government to speed things up but did not oppose the security and psychological screening or training methods that have been adopted.
http://www.freep.com/money/business/air27_20030827.htm