MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – Arming US airline pilots is the most cost-effective way of preventing terrorist attacks, US Senator Rand Paul said in an interview with Fox News.
“I’m concerned about what is the most cost-effective way of preventing another 9/11. I want all pilots to be armed,” Paul said, commenting on the Federal Flight Deck Officer program (FFDO) that allows pilots to carry firearms on board.
“The president has zeroed this out of his budget. He’s advocated for getting rid of the program,” the senator added.
Rand Paul also criticized former US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for cutting the budget on the program, saying the government’s “lack of commitment to the idea of self-defense is a huge signal to terrorists around the world.”
The program began in 2002, after the 9/11 attacks that saw hijacked passenger airliners crash into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, leaving almost 3,000 people dead.
The program has been criticized following a 2008 incident, when a US Airways pilot, who was part of the FFDO program, accidently discharged a gun during a flight from Denver to Charlotte. Although no one on board was injured, air safety experts said that if the shot had damaged a window, the plane could have depressurized, leading to a tragedy.
