US to ask for armed flight guards

Bjarni Herjolfsson · Post by **Bjarni Herjolfsson** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 11:48 pm

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ ... B09C3A.htm

If enough wasnt happening in this world already...Anyway if anyone goes oversees from America and back tell me how it is. I'll probably be posting about it when I get back from Syria this summer if it remains. My thought are this is ridiculous. Arming the pilots with lethals until non-lethals for this type of situation I can deal with but having a bunch of police with pistols is bound to run into trouble. Besides, more terrorist activity that has happened on American soil have been on domestic flights. I agree with BALPA's General Secretary Jim McAuslan when he said: "We do not want guns on planes."

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 11:57 pm

Who are these crazy people who want protection? Why can't everybody just let terrorists do what they want like Bjarni says? Everyone's life would be a lot easier. While we're at it, we should tear down the metal detectors and stop making people take off their shoes.

0bb3 · Post by **0bb3** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 2:58 am

Who are these crazy people who want protection? Why can't everybody just let terrorists do what they want like Bjarni says? Everyone's life would be a lot easier. While we're at it, we should tear down the metal detectors and stop making people take off their shoes.

That was constructive

captainktainer · Post by **captainktainer** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 3:05 am

Most airplane-related terrorist activity has been on domestic flights, yes. However, since domestic flights are being so carefully scrutinized, the next best target for terrorists would probably be international flights. Cross-country domestic flights have the most fuel and thus make the biggest boom; however, international flights also carry a good deal of fuel, and are likely to have a lot of people on board. Thus, even if the terrorists couldn't hit their target, they could take a lot of people out by doing a nosedive.

I don't like the thought of having armed people on any airplane... but as a security measure it seems like a good idea. The only thing I don't like is the mandatory nature of the air marshals.

Post by **Martin Blank** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:09 am

El Al has had armed plain-clothes security officers on every flight since at least the early 1970s, and perhaps as far back as shortly after the 1967 hijacking -- the last successful hijacking of an El Al airliner.

I'm in favor of this. In fact, if the DoT were taking applications, I would be all over it, doing everything I could to become an air marshal.

elroy · Post by **elroy** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 2:21 pm

I was about to say it works for el-al.. beaten to it.
As long as they're trained well it shouldn't be a problem.

Bjarni Herjolfsson · Post by **Bjarni Herjolfsson** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:25 pm

We still have to worry about those trigger happy guards. What would be done to prevent those?

Bigity · Post by **Bigity** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:33 pm

[quote="Bjarni Herjolfsson";p="248031"]We still have to worry about those trigger happy guards. What would be done to prevent those?[/quote]

I think that's covered in training.

Seir · Post by **Seir** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:38 pm

You're talking as if they're going to be grabbing a random schmuck off the street and slapping them with the gun after asking them, "Are you afraid of flying?"

They're supposed to be trained law enforcement officers in their own country, so if they're trigger happy , maybe they shouldn't be in law enforcement in their homeland in the first place.

Post by **Martin Blank** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:38 pm

[quote="Bjarni Herjolfsson";p="248031"]We still have to worry about those trigger happy guards. What would be done to prevent those?[/quote]
Yeah, those 5000 current armed air marshals flying in the US have caused all kinds of problems, haven't they?

Air marshals are law enforcement agents, just like the police, the FBI, and the US Marshals. They're well trained in their field, and they're not going to go off half-cocked on some adventure, putting holes in people.

Fixer · Post by **Fixer** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:49 pm

[quote="Martin Blank";p="248042"]Air marshals are law enforcement agents, just like the police, the FBI, and the US Marshals. They're well trained in their field, and they're not going to go off half-cocked on some adventure, putting holes in people.[/quote]
.... or the sides of aircraft, which would cause massive decompression in midflight and definitely not go well on that particular marshall's record.

Bjarni, you are worrying about something that has never happened whereas everyone else is worrying about preventing something that has actually occured. When an air marshall crashes a plane into a building or a countryside, I will consider your argument. Until then, you are acting solely on fear, not on reason.

elroy · Post by **elroy** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:34 pm

It's worked for as long as *points few posts above* for the israelis. They put well trained officers on the planes, haven't put holes in any planes or gotten hijacked. That's what they oughta do on those other companies planes if it becomes a requirement. Well trained professionals. No problemo.

Bjarni Herjolfsson · Post by **Bjarni Herjolfsson** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:41 pm

I guess I'm just being paranoid.

Post by **Martin Blank** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 8:54 pm

An El Al security officer last summer shot dead an attacker at LAX after the attacker killed two people and wounded four more while standing in line.

Pedric · Post by **Pedric** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 9:49 pm

Terrorist's HOWTO hijack a plane, rev. 2:

1. Become armed flight guard.
2. Use weapon they give you.
3. Done.

Of course they do background checks on possible candidates for those jobs one might think, but you never know...

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