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CNN Live Today

White House Reverses Decisions on Cockpit Guns

Aired September 05, 2002 - 13:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration is expected to reverse its position and announce a test program to arm some airline pilots with firearms. That announcement would follow an overwhelming vote in the House to let commercial pilots carry firearms.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at Washington's Reagan National Airport with more on this. Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, what we are expected to see is the administration basically floating the proposal to Congress today for a very small scale test program. As you pointed out, this summer the House said overwhelmingly wanted to let every single pilot have the option of carrying a gun, and similar legislation was introduced in the Senate yesterday, so what the administration is trying to forge right now is a compromise. It would let about 2 percent of pilots, some 1,400 pilots try carrying guns in the cockpit. The question is, what do passengers think about that.

Now, Michael McFarland is with us. He is a frequent flyer, business traveler from Boston -- Michael, how do you react to that proposal?

MICHAEL MCFARLAND, PASSENGER: Well, I am opposed to that proposal. I think the pilots should be focused on flying the airplane. I think our focus really should be on security, and preventing a breach of the cockpit.

KOCH: Even when you hear these reports in recent weeks, even today at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, of people getting guns through security checkpoints, that doesn't give you pause and think maybe these men and women need to have a way to defend themselves?

MCFARLAND: No, not really. I think, again, the focus has got to be on preventing those guns from getting to the cockpit. Focus on the air marshals, but I think the pilot's job is to fly the plane, and I think by having them worry about defending themselves, that distracts them from what they really should be doing.

KOCH: Even the pilots, though, they say, Well, look at 9/11. If only one of those pilots had had a gun, then maybe they could have stopped things.

MCFARLAND: I am not sure it would have. I mean, we look at the plane that crashed in the Pittsburgh area, that was because there were fights in the cockpit, so that really didn't save anyone. So again, I think the focus really should be on preventing the breach of the cockpit, keeping people out, have the pilots focus on safely landing that plane.

KOCH: Michael McFarland, thank you.

And Kyra, what the administration is saying, that those broad proposals to arm all pilots, those proposals aren't well funded by Congress. They don't know how the training, some -- roughly 12 weeks of training that would be required would be paid for. That would mean taking pilots out of their rotation in their airlines, and then there are also very sticky issues of liability. If a pilot came out of the cockpit, used his or her gun and injured a passenger, then who would pay? Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Good points to bring up. Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

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