Guns in Cockpits

There’s been a (justified) media circus around the pilot who “accidentally” discharged a firearm in the cockpit of a USAirways plane. Finally, it comes out that he was apparently putting a lock on the gun when it discharged.

OK, whether you believe armed pilots are a good idea or not, two thoughts ....

Firearms do not go off accidentally. It’s only human intention or error. A person has to apply some sort of action to make a gun discharge – either through actual intent (shooting), or because of neglect, poor training, poor judgment, or ignorance. Secondly, if the gun is locked, what good is it? Firearms meant for protection need to be accessible – you don’t see police officers walking around with trigger locks on their sidearms.