ackatyu (Wdtabor) wrote
I live in Virginia, I am often in the company of people I do not know who are
armed

And I live in Texas. When I moved to Texas, they stopped me at the
border to check for firearms. It was OK, though - I had some, so they
let me in. OK, that was a joke - but realize that it's reflective of
Texas culture, and I'm a Texan by choice. Most of the pilots at my
home airport are armed, and I feel safer because the right to carry
arms is available to the populace, not limited to a special class.

I also accept that certain environments, due to their very nature, are
too dangerous for anyone to be carrying guns. Chemical plants are a
perfect example - the risks from accidental discharge or misuse are
just too great. Even in Texas, nobody carries a gun in a chemical
plant, and that includes security. Whether a passenger airplane
constitutes such an environment is debatable - I personally don't
think it does but I'm willing to go along with the majority if it
decides otherwise. What I will not accept is the existence of a
special armed class. That way lies the social model of lords and
peasants.

There is another aspect to this - as PIC, I am responsible for the
safety of the flight. If a person I know nothing about is armed, and
I'm not, then I don't have any way of assuring that safety.
Therefore, I'm not interested in accepting the responsibility. It's
that simple.

I trust the honest people around me to share in our mutual defense against
those who are unlawful.

That's great, but we're not talking about letting ordinary citizens
board the plane armed. We're talking about making it a special
privilege, available to only a special class.

Michael