US senate votes to allow pilots carry weapons

THE Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to allow commercial pilots to carry weapons in the cockpit after the Bush administration dropped its opposition to the idea.

The administration, though, said a number of safety and logistical issues needed to be resolved.

In a letter to two senators, the White House recommended giving pilots lockboxes for the weapons so they won't be left in the cockpit. It also said only pilots who volunteer to carry weapons and receive extensive training should be armed.

Al Aitken, a pilot speaking for the 14,500-member union representing American Airlines pilots, which supports arming pilots, said the 87-6 vote meant the Senate recognised that all the security layers the administration is putting into place are still inadequate.

"The people who need the weapons as a last line of defence are the pilots," he said. "They're the only ones they're trying to keep the gun from," he said, adding that thousands of state and federal law enforcement officers travel on planes while armed.

Until the early 1960s, federal regulations required pilots to carry guns when they flew a plane carrying U.S. mail, Aitken said.

The heads of 21 airlines, which oppose the measure, sent a letter to each senator Thursday saying they wanted to discuss the idea of arming pilots with Congress and the administration.

"It must be noted, however, that while we are spending literally billions of dollars to keep dangerous weapons off of aircraft, the idea of intentionally introducing thousands of deadly weapons in to the system appears to be dangerously counterproductive," the letter said.

To address some of the airlines' concerns, the administration suggested a "detailed, effective" training program be designed from scratch and tested before an estimated 85,000 pilots are allowed to carry weapons.

The administration also warned the cost would be significant $900 million to start and $250 million annually thereafter and said there is no money now in the Transportation Security Administration budget to cover the expenses.

How long it would take to arm the first pilot is a question that still has to be answered, said Robert Johnson, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

The chairman of the House Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee, Rep. John Mica (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla., said pilots should be armed at least until bulletproof cockpit doors are installed in all planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that manufacturers and airlines agree an April 9 deadline to install the new doors can be met.