Guns in the Air, IDs on the Ground

The fact that our airline security system limited the recent hijackers’ weapons to small knives should be considered a major success. Now the crew needs just a moderate “equalizer.” I support giving airline pilots the option of carrying a small pistol in the cockpit to prevent hijackings (“Bush May Agree to Federalize Air Security,” Sept. 25). The mere possibility of a flight crew being armed will limit a hijacker’s tactics.

However, a complete set of safety requirements is needed to prevent the weapon from being used against the flight crew. Several new pistols are available with computer chips or other devices that limit their use to the owner. Nonlethal weapons such as Tasers, with the same ID chip, should also be allowed. Guns in cockpits may facilitate a rogue pilot, such as was suspected on the Egypt Air crash, but psychological screening and awareness by other crew members should virtually eliminate that risk.

Gary A. Moir

Rancho Palos Verdes

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So now we are proposing to arm civilian airline pilots with guns in order to protect other civilians from harm. What a novel idea--using a gun to defend yourself and others from harm. I wonder if armed civilian airline pilots could now be considered a militia, or are they just armed civilians?

Eric Dresser

Burbank

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We should think twice before turning over airport security to the federal government, the same folks who can’t track down millions of foreigners who remain in America with expired visas.

Steve Kelley

Hermosa Beach

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Michael Ramirez’s Sept. 26 cartoon strikes at the heart of irony. Had the pilots been armed on Sept. 11, the World Trade Center would still be standing, the Pentagon would be intact and over 6,000 lives saved.

William T. Cash

Victorville

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Current ID checks by airlines are limited to picture IDs, such as a driver’s license. If it was a federal mandate that all states be required to include country of citizenship, airline personnel could then ask for passports or alien cards for non-U.S. citizens. This additional information could also aid law enforcement officials during ID checks.

We currently have to provide proof of insurance and smog certificates when renewing our tags. Providing country of citizenship for new or renewals of drivers’ licenses and ID cards would be a noninvasive and effective tool for tracking non-U.S. citizens.

Michael Mastrogiuseppe

Studio City

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I’m surprised that in this panic about aviation security, no one seems to have noticed the elementary fact that the passengers are on our side. (Pennsylvania on Sept. 11 showed it clearly.) Far from disarming the passengers (the current knee-jerk reaction of the security people), the authorities ought to lift the ban on Swiss Army knives carried by passengers (just an example, I’m not peddling a brand name) and announce it publicly. That would give any potential hijackers pause, since they are always outnumbered, and passengers may be expected to fight for their lives, as in Pennsylvania.

Hal Lewis

Santa Barbara