Feds Ban Firearms in Airline Cockpits

Washington -- The federal government will prohibit pilots from carrying firearms in the cockpits of commercial airplanes, Transportation Undersecretary John Magaw told a Senate committee today.

The announcement, at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, follows months of debate over whether arming pilots can effectively prevent the kind of airplane hijackings that resulted in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

The Air Line Pilots Association, representing some 62,000 commercial airline pilots in the United States and Canada, proposed allowing cockpit crews to voluntarily carry guns. But Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge opposed the idea.

At today's hearing, Magaw said the Transportation Department favors posting armed, federal marshals on airplanes instead, leaving pilots free to concentrate on flying the planes.

Despite the department's decision, the matter may not be settled. Bills are pending in both houses of Congress to allow pilots to carry guns.

The Bush Administration is still considering whether to allow pilots to carry stun guns, which are nonlethal. United Airlines has bought stun guns to arm cockpit crews, subject to federal approval. Other airlines are studying the idea.

Following the September attacks, the government required that cockpit doors be reinforced to prevent break-ins by would-be hijackers.