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Pilot Carry vs. Cops-Only National Concealed Carry by Angel Shamaya April 26, 2002 American pilots are working to get themselves armed in their cockpits. This is a good idea. American law enforcement officers are seeking special status exemptions from the concealed carry laws of all 50 states while those same laws continue to be enforced against the people. This is a bad idea. After reading my report opposing Cops-Only National Concealed Carry legislation, a couple of people wrote to me to ask why I'd oppose the special exemptions for police but support arming pilots in their cockpits. That is a fair question -- one that deserves a public answer. The chart below addresses the difference between the two. If this subject is new to you, the following two links will bring you up to speed at your leisure: Airplanes & Guns Archives Special Exemptions for Cops? Public Servants Seek Immunity from Gun Laws they Enforce; Gun Rights Leaders Say “No Thanks!”   Question/Concern Pilots Police As a group, do many among them throw people in jail every day for exercising a basic constitutional right? NO YES As a group, do they often adamantly and publicly oppose the right of the people to keep and bear arms? NO YES If their request is granted, can they go into a restaurant carrying a firearm where you'd go to jail for doing so? NO YES Is support for citizen concealed carry decriminalization needed from them as a group? NO YES Would granting their request significantly reduce the amount of support coming from their group for citizen concealed carry decriminalization? NO YES Would granting their request harm efforts to decriminalize citizen concealed carry? NO YES Would granting their request help the efforts of gun prohibitionists? NO YES Would granting their request significantly increase resentment against civil authority? NO YES Are they employees of civil authority (and, therefore, subservient -- not superior -- to the people)? NO YES Do some among their group ever use the authority and power their jobs afford them to terrorize citizens -- on or off the job? NO YES Are rabid anti-Second-Amendment unions backing their proposal? NO YES Is approving their request a violation of the United States Constitution? NO YES Is their request born of a general elitism within their group? NO YES Would they be operating in an official capacity when carrying in the domain covered by their request? (pilots' domain: cockpit / police domain: everywhere) YES NO Will they always have hundreds or even thousands of lives in their hands while carrying in the domain covered by their request? YES NO Do they have an official duty to do everything within their power to protect the lives of the people within their reach while carrying in the domain covered by their request? YES NO Furthermore, KeepAndBearArms.com is not endorsing permits for arming the pilots to the exclusion of citizens. Our position has been consistent; we work to see every peaceable citizen who so chooses armed -- without needing permission. We have not advocated the pilots' getting permission to exercise their Second Amendment rights -- we have advocated and urged them to demand their rights and not fly unless their rights are honored. And we also urge passengers to do the same. We would like to see the pilots ground the planes because they are being denied their rights -- that would force the government and airlines to cave in. We would also like to see passengers demand their right and refuse to fly -- if they did, that would also ground the flights and quickly resolve the issue. Again: in neither case are we advocating special permits for any special group; we support the right of all Americans, including pilots and cops, to exercise their Second Amendment rights, as people, nationwide -- without permits, and without any additional laws. All but a handful of gun laws need to be repealed.