The Last Stand: Should Airline Pilots Be Allowed to Carry Fire Arms?

September 11, 2001 (herein referred to as 9/11) was a day in American history, which will be remembered as the most horrific attack on American soil. This attack, carried out by nineteen Islamic extremists, was associated with al-Qaeda, and involved the hijacking of four airplanes. Two of those airplanes were hijacked and flown directly into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The third plane’s target was the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the fourth plane was brought down in Pennsylvania where it is believed the passengers aboard fought the hijackers. This horrific day in history cost over 3,000 people their lives, and was labeled the worst attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

September 11 many people had never had any fear of terrorism assuming that “something like that can only happen in a movie”. These days, most people would think twice before boarding a plane. In my opinion arming pilots would increase people’s confidence in airline security if they carried a gun and not just a weapon. As an alternative to firearms some experts propose arming pilots with stun guns or guns equipped with specialized bullets. The projectiles would “disintegrate on impact” to ensure the safety of the aircraft. But they could do serious damage to the human body, which is fine in the case of hijackers. The planes cockpits already come equipped with crash axes, which could be used as weapons. (Scott, 3) A survey was given on October ninth asking how many people would agree to letting pilots be armed, and seventy five percent said arm our pilots.”

A plane, American Airlines Route 11, with 92 passengers on board, was hijacked by four Arab men with knives, led by Mohammed Atta. On the ground heard the air traffic controller them say, "Do not something stupid. There will not be put to any. We have other planes. "

In this paper, I will try to demonstrate how drastically the security in airports has changed since the attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. September 11 is a day that probably every single person on this earth either remembers or at least knows about. The airports have had some of the biggest changes in how humans travel this earth. Every country has their own way of securing their airports, but they all have made changes in some way, shape or form. The question I have recently asked myself is; are these changes actually going to keep us safe when we fly? Can anyone really answer this question with 100 percent truthfulness? I personally do not think it is a question

On September 11, 2001, four commercial aircraft were hijacked by terrorists who led an attack on America by crashing the planes into buildings. This attack created destruction, trauma, death, and fear. There had not been an act of war of this magnitude since the bombings of Pearl Harbor, and it shook the foundation of American exceptionalism. Americans exceptionalism is sometimes taken too far and it can create the idea that the United States is invincible. Therefore, when something of this scale takes place, a backlash is formed and the question of, ‘how did this happen’ is brought up. This new fear of airplanes becoming missiles brought the citizens of our county to bring a call to action to our government.

September 11, 2001 was an unforgettable day when many people lost there lives and sadly, airport security failed at three different airports. Airport security is a big deal all across the country and we depend on the use of the security for the safety of our own lives along with the others around us. There were many attacks throughout history that helped the airport to see what there weaknesses were, which helps strengthen their current security systems. 9/11 was a big impact on the world and caused grief to many families, but all that grief could have been avoided if they were caught in the airport! Airport security went from relaxed to strict very quickly. There were many changes in the security before 9/11, during 9/11, and after

The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks forever changed the way our air travel industry operates. It affected the government, the airlines, airports, employees, and passengers alike. There was not as much of a threat of terrorism before 9/11, so airport security was not nearly as thorough, and at times intrusive as it is today. Through the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, the evolving threat of terrorism has not been successful in carrying out another 9/11 style attack.

On September 11, 2001, the Unites States suffered massive destruction caused by terrorism. Four planes were hijacked by terrorist. Nearly, three thousand lives were lost when two planes crashed into the World Trade Towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the final plane crashed in Pennsylvania before it could reach its final destination. An immense fear spread across the country and out of this fear came the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct the Terrorism, also known as the USA Patriot Act.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, an Islamic terrorist group known as al-Qaeda carried out a series of four attacks on the United States. The most well-known attack is when two commercial airline planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City. Many innocent lives were lost and families were torn apart. While many Americans were determined to show their resilience towards the attacks, this is a day many Americans will never forget. Although the attacks happened sixteen years ago, Americans are still dealing with the impacts these attacks have had on life in America. The 9/11 attacks have had several long-lasting effects on everyday life in America, some of which include an increase in airport security, a change in national security, and an increase the fear of terrorism.

At the two Chicago airports, Aviation Police are not allowed to carry guns. It’s a long standing policy that prohibits aviation police from carrying a gun. O’Hare and Midway airports policy is basically saying they want the aviation police to avoid becoming part of the response because it makes it more dangerous for themselves and the public because of the large population at each one of these airports, I disagree. The aviation police officers are demanding that they should have guns to protect themselves and citizens at the airports in case of an attack. The Chicago O’Hare airport advises the aviation police to “run and hide if an attack is to occur”. The aviation police are to hide and wait for the Chicago Police Department to arrive, they

Arming pilots for flight is dangerous in every capacity. Armed pilots pose a risk to all passengers due to the simple fact of trust for a strange,unknown human being. If a pilot feels emotional or suicidal a weapon is a huge risk when accounting for the lives of countless others. Recently, many disagreements have lead to the death of one individual or more, if a pilot has a disagreement with anyone on the plane pulling the weapon out to kill is very simple and dangerous. Lastly, any disgruntled passenger could try to steal the gun from the pilot and use it in an act of terrorism on the plane. This is why pilots should not be

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in

The September 11th attacks have had a profound effect on American history. Often referred to as “9/11”, these attacks were comprised of a group of organized terrorists known as Al-Qaeda. This extreme Islamic group assaulted several landmarks in New York City, Washington D.C, and the state of Pennsylvania. In New York City, two airliner jets were hijacked with passengers aboard and slammed into the World Trade Center. “The next attack resulted in a plane colliding into the Pentagon, government building; the last attack was in Pennsylvania when a plane crashed into a field. In total, 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001” (History.com Staff). The September 11th-attacks have affected airport security by the new training of flight attendants, the formation of the Transportation Security Administration and new technical advances to keep up with increased terror threats.

The issue of pilots carrying weapons, while flying, is not new. Since the earliest days of pilots flying the U.S. Mail, they carried guns to protect themselves and the vital cargo of mail. Today, pilots are authorized to fly with weapons to protect the aircraft, their passengers, and themselves from hijackers and terrorists. It has become a last line of defense in case of a hostile takeover of the aircraft, turning it into a weapon of mass destruction, as we witnessed, during the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center (9/11). The controversy surrounding this issue today has grown into heated debates with anti-gun lobbyist protest, and even the pilots themselves proclaiming their

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four airplanes were hijacked and two of them, brought the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. As a result of these attacks on the United States, airports have come to the realization that the only way to prevent another hijacking is by strengthening the security on aircrafts through the cockpit. In order to secure the cockpit and ensure the safety of the passengers on board, guns were introduced as a possible solution in the event of an emergency situation like those that took place in September of 2001.