J.C. Watts: “when 19 men hijacked four airplanes on September 11th, 2001, the terrorists had a tactical advantage--and ultimately…”

“when 19 men hijacked four airplanes on September 11th, 2001, the terrorists had a tactical advantage--and ultimately, the final word. The last line of defense by the pilots on those planes was handicapped. The bad guys had weapons. The good guys did not. What the House is proposing today is to allow a limited number of pilots who wish to have firearms in their cockpits have them. It is a pilot program for pilots. Critics of this legislation are quick to make excuses why pilots should not have firearms in the cockpit. Their favorite reason seems to be a myth concerning the decompression of the airplane from a stray bullet. What they are saying is quite preposterous. A plane is heading for a building--but a pilot shouldn't be allowed to stop the hijacker for fear of breaking a window. The bottom line is: if an aircraft is headed for destruction as a result of a hijacking, there is absolutely nothing to lose by giving the pilot a last-ditch effort tool to restore order to his plane. Until 1987, pilots could have firearms in their cockpit. Can anyone in this chamber stand up and tell me it was the Wild, Wild West up there in the skies? Can anyone in this chamber give me one instance where a pilot misused a gun on a plane? This is a commonsense proposal supported by pilots, their unions, Democrats, Republicans and a clear majority of the American public. We can pretend an ideal world will somehow prevent acts of terror. But cockpit doors will open.…”