BILL WOULD ALLOW CARGO AIRCRAFT PILOTS TO CARRY FIREARMS

BILL WOULD ALLOW CARGO AIRCRAFT PILOTS TO CARRY FIREARMS    Rep. Don Young, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and fellow Republican John Mica introduced legislation Thursday to permit pilots of cargo aircraft to carry firearms in the cockpit to protect against a terrorist takeover.
   Young, R-Alaska, and Mica, R-Fla., were the original sponsors of legislation passed last year allowing commercial airline pilots to be trained to carry firearms on commercial passenger aircraft. Mica is the chairman if the Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee.
   Pilots will have the option of carrying a gun under the law, but first must undergo a background check, screening and training. There are more than 10,000 cargo pilots in the United States, according to the committee.
   'There are no federal marshals on cargo flights and we cannot allow these jets to be used for future terrorist attacks,' Young said in a statement. 'We've already passed legislation allowing 60,000 commercial airline pilots to seek qualification for this program and it's time we allow cargo pilots to have the same protections for their aircraft.'