FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: David Sandretti, Sen. Boxer 202/224-8120
Thursday, April 1, 2004 Mike Reynard, Sen. Bunning 202/224-1156

BUNNING AND BOXER INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO ENSURE
GUNS IN THE COCKPIT PROGRAM IS PROPERLY IMPLEMENTED

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced legislation to ensure that the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program to arm pilots is properly implemented.

Since the armed pilots program was first created by Congress, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has only trained and armed a small fraction of the pilots eligible for the program. The Cockpit Security Technical Corrections and Improvements Act will ensure that more eligible pilots are trained in an expedited manner.

Bunning said, "The TSA has been dragging its feet in arming our nation's commercial airline pilots. It has been over two and a half years since the attacks of September 11th and only around two percent of the 100,000 pilots who are eligible to sign up for the program have been armed. The legislation I introduced today will take down the barriers TSA has thrown up, and will help make our skies more secure."

Boxer said, "When we wrote the original armed pilots program, our intent was to create a last line of defense in the case of a terrorist attack. But TSA has slow-walked the program from day one, denying thousands of pilots their right to be trained in this program and denying the American people the additional security they deserve."

The bill requires TSA to train all commercial pilots who volunteer for the program within 90 days from when they apply. The bill also allows pilots who are or have been a member of the Armed Forces or National Guard, or a federal, state or local law enforcement officer who has completed firearm training and has passed the psychological test to be immediately deputized as a Federal Flight Deck Officer. These officers would then have to complete training within 180 days of being deputized to maintain their status.

The bill also works to eliminate several obstacles that have hindered the program, including treating pilots in the program as "air marshals." In addition, the bill assures that guns are not lost by allowing pilots to keep their guns in their possession when they are not piloting a flight. Under current TSA policy, Federal Flight Deck Officer pilots must store their guns in a locked container that travels in the cargo hold of a plane.

Bunning and Boxer first teamed up to pass the Federal Flight Deck Officer program as part of the Homeland Security Act in 2002. The two worked together again last year to pass their legislation to extend the Federal Flight Deck Officer program to include cargo pilots. That bill was signed into law last year.