At 12:20 PM 5/21/2002 -0400, RT Simpson wrote: >In a message dated 5/21/02 9:00:15 AM US Mountain Standard Time, >wlw-jr@att.net writes: > > > Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., who chairs the Commerce Committee, said guns > > would not be needed as long as pilots kept cockpit doors locked while in > > flight. > > > > "You can put the rule in right now and cut out all the argument about > > pistols and stun guns," Hollings said. > >What an idiot! Guess Senator Foghorn never heard of taking hostages. So, you expect the pilot to stride out of the cockpit, brandishing his weapon, and then shoot the hostage taker? Without depressurizing the plane or wounding the hostage or other passengers? Suppose the hostage situation is in row 20. Wanna take bets whether the hostage taker has an co-conspirator sitting in an aisle seat in one of the rows between the cockpit and row 15? Whoops, now two hostage takers are even better armed than they were before the pilot left the cockpit, and now the co-pilot has to manage the flight single-handedly without worrying about a colleague who is now a hostage. Let me guess: you want a second weapon in the cockpit just in case this happens? I really, really hope the pilot at least locked the cockpit door as he stormed the main cabin. And never mind how he'd get back into the cockpit after leaving it. I'm sure there's some code word which the criminals would never figure out that tells the pilot left in the cockpit that it's really, really OK to open the locked door again. Get real! >RT Simpson Nick