Let's see. I have a mandate by the IRS to complete my taxes by 15 April or else I get penalized. The TSA has a mandate by Congress (their boss!) to complete action by 26 May and they get no penalty. These idiots at the TSA need to realize that there was no need to test a taser - use a frigging gun that shoots real bullets, not a damn piece of electrical wire that may or may not work. Jonathan Ornstein is a complete moran. <begin sarcastic voice> the weapon could be stolen or stolen</end sarcastic voice>. By the line of reasoning, then cops shuold not be allowed to carry weapons because the could be lost or stolen. When will the American people wake up and realize that the people "in charge" are nothing but complete idiots? David R > U.S. Nears Decision On Guns in Cockpit ........ Agency Still Studying Stun > Weapons > By Sara Kehaulani Goo > Washington Post Staff Writer > Thursday, May 29, 2003; Page E04 > > > After failing to meet a congressionally mandated deadline for action, the > Transportation Security Administration said yesterday that it will decide > "within days" whether to allow some airlines to arm pilots with a kind of > stun gun that emits an immobilizing electric shock. The TSA, which last > month began a program to arm some pilots with guns in the cockpit, said it > missed its May 26 deadline because it needed more time to weigh the safety > and legal concerns of stun guns. Robert Johnson, a spokesman for the > agency, said it took longer than anticipated to test the weapons, adding > that a decision is "imminent." "We're talking about putting another weapon > on board an aircraft," Johnson said. "We owe it to the traveling public to > be thorough and to make certain we're doing the very best we can to develop > protocols." United Airlines, the nation's second-largest carrier, and Mesa > Air Group Inc., a Phoenix-based regional carrier that operates as America > West Express, US Airways Express and Frontier JetExpress, sought approval > from the TSA earlier this year to arm their pilots with tasers. United has > already trained thousands of pilots to use the weapon. > > The two airlines, along with discount carrier American Trans Air, have > pushed to allow the weapons in the cockpit as a safer alternative to arming > pilots with lethal weapons, a measure that was overwhelmingly approved by > Congress last fall. The TSA has trained 44 commercial airline pilots to > carry guns in the cockpit and plans to expand the voluntary program this > summer. "I'm not in favor of lethal weapons in the cockpit," said Jonathan > Ornstein, president and chief executive of Mesa Airlines. "The issue of > getting guns back and forth on the aircraft is fraught with too much risk. > [The weapon] could be stolen; it could be lost." The stun gun under > consideration is a version of an electric shock weapon called a taser. It > is manufactured by Phoenix-based Taser International Inc. and delivers the > shock by shooting an electric wire up to 21 feet. Other stun guns deliver > an electric shock when pressed against a person's body or clothing. > Taser International has already sold tasers to United for about $400 each. > The company said its products are used by many police departments across > the country. Some international airlines, such as Korean Air, keep a taser > in the cabin for flight attendants to use. > > Under the airlines' plan, the taser would be in a lockbox in the cockpit. > In a letter to United Airlines last month, TSA chief James M. Loy wrote > that a "working group" reviewing stun guns at the agency "has determined > that in defense of the flight deck, certain electronic stun guns may > provide an appropriate deterrent to acts of violence or air piracy aboard > the aircraft." In the same letter, Loy added that the agency needed more > information about the legal concerns of transporting the stun gun into > nations or states in which they are not allowed and methods of how crew > members would be selected to carry the weapon. Johnson said the TSA plans > to release a related study of nonlethal weapons use for flight attendants > and pilots within days, which will outline the agency's position on all > types of stun guns. Johnson said the agency has minor questions about > United's proposed program but is still awaiting answers from Mesa about its > proposal. Mesa's Ornstein, who said he was ready to arm his pilots weeks > after the terrorist attacks in September 2001, said he is tired of the > TSA's delays. "We've been dealing with this subject for over a year," > Ornstein said. "It's more of the same." > > > *************************************************** > The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com > Roj (Roger James) > > escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx > Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com > Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ > Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ > Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ > Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com > TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt > *********************************************************