cuchulainn
Member
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=6293
April 6 , 2003
First group of airline pilots set to begin firearms training
The Associated Press - BRUNSWICK, Ga.
The first commercial airline pilots who will carry guns into the cockpit are set to begin training.
The 48 pilots in the inaugural class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center will be taught how to handle .40-calibre semiautomatic handguns, the only type of gun pilots will be authorized to carry.
The training program was signed into law last fall by President Bush. Airline pilot organizations had lobbied for the program to prevent terrorist hijackings after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Agents from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration will train the pilots in legal and psychological aspects of firearm use, as well as defensive tactics, said TSA spokeswoman Suzanne Luber.
The 50-hour seminar will start April 13. Pilots who complete the program will be deputized as federal law enforcement officers. As a security precaution, authorities wont reveal which airlines have pilots in the program, Luber said.
Only volunteer pilots who meet federal screening requirements _ including psychological evaluations and criminal background checks _ will be allowed to carry handguns, Luber said.
The Air Line Pilots Association worked closely with the TSA to develop the program. It also nominated 36 of the 48 pilots in the inaugural class. Association spokesman John Mazor said union officials will observe the training and then offer suggestions on how to improve it.
Not every plane is going to have a pilot who is armed, Mazor said. But you wont know if your pilot is armed or not, and thats the deterrent.
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, near Brunswick, is run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It trains agents and officers for 76 federal agencies.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
:banghead: 
