John Hostettler: “once again I would like to thank the committee for the legislation that is before us and that we are moving in the right…”

“once again I would like to thank the committee for the legislation that is before us and that we are moving in the right way. The amendment that I offer at this time strikes the language in this bill that gives preferential treatment to pilots who were former military or former law enforcement personnel. Mr. Chairman, in order for us to determine whether this program really works, I believe that we should have a better cross-section of pilots. I would like to open this legislation up to all pilots. Since this bill creates a training program, there is no reason to discriminate against those pilots who truly want to provide a safe environment for their passengers. Why not allow all pilots to carry firearms if they so choose? Had the pilots of the four airplanes that were commandeered on September 11 been carrying side arms, the hijackers, armed with box cutters, might not have been successful in their mission. The American people support the idea. In a Time-CNN poll conducted just weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, 61 percent said they favored allowing pilots to carry guns. Two more recent polls, conducted by the Wilson Center and the Winston Group, found support for arming pilots has risen to 75 percent. Airline pilots themselves overwhelmingly favor this option.”