Okay....calm down

I am sure everyone has heard about the US Airways pilot who had his gun discharge during an approach into North Carolina last Tuesday. As soon as the story hit the news, I knew there would be a tremendous public uproar...and I was not incorrect. In case you have not heard the story, the short of it is, pilots who go through a certain program are allowed to carry a gun in the flight deck as a last line of defense in case of a breach of the flight deck. The pilots who carry a gun (don't forget are at least smart enough to fly a plane loaded with people) are given psychological testing as well as a week long initial firearms course, with recurrent training every year. The program was initiated by congress following the 9/11 attacks. Since the program started, this is the first discharge of a pilot's gun, and it happened to be accidental.

I am not a big fan of guns myself. In a perfect world, there would be no guns if you ask me. The issue is, guns will never disappear. If you make them illegal, the only people that would still have them, are the people you don't want to have them anyway. The decision to allow pilots to carry guns in the flight deck came after the most horrific terrorist attack on U.S. soil, using U.S. aircraft filled with Americans. Airplanes are constantly considered a very real focal point for another attack. There does need to be protection to ensure that a similar attack will not happen again.

Now, especially after this isolated accident, that did not affect the aircraft, nor any passengers or crew members, people are screaming for the discontinuation of the program. It's funny because in the months following 9/11, the same people were wondering why pilots had no defense for securing the flight deck. Make up your mind. One message board on CBS.com had some of the most idiotic comments on there. One person said "...pilots are there to fly the plane. Why can't they just fly the plane and that's it?" I would love nothing more than to just fly a plane and not have to deal with drunk passengers, security issues, or the CONSTANT threat of terrorism. That is not a reality in today's world. Another person said "Pilots shouldn't carry guns. Leave that to the people in the back." I just wish people would learn the facts of the program before they open their mouths. Pilots who go through the program to carry a gun are actually considered Federal Officers. They have authority (much like any other law enforcement personnel) to defend the flight deck. We are not talking about someone who went out and bought a gun, with no training and keeps it in their nightstand at home. We are talking about people who have done hours of training and therefore become officers. What is the big deal about protecting the safety of hundreds...even thousands of people.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that is the great thing about America, but please --- please, learn ALL the facts before you just open your mouth and start babbling nonsense.