Guns in the CockpitOn the morning of September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked and two of them caused the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York. Following these attacks on the United States, airports realized that the only way to prevent another hijacking was to increase aircraft security through the cockpit. In order to secure the cockpit and ensure the safety of passengers on board, firearms were introduced as a possible solution in the event of an emergency situation like the one that occurred in September 2001. Transportation Security Administration Chief John Magaw , announced the Administrations believe that they are against firearms in cockpits and that a pilot must give all his attention to piloting his plane. He believes pilots can use their planes as a line of defense by landing them as quickly as possible and performing mid-air maneuvers to throw the hijackers off balance (MSNBC 3). John Magaw believes that pilots should use what they have. Captain Tracy Price, head of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance which supports equipping the cockpit with firearms, said: "We advocate arming airline pilots with firearms to provide a last resort, a last line of defense for passengers, crew and innocent civilians on the ground, in a press conference in Washington DC (Pilots 1). She believes that pilots need not only their own plane as a weapon against a hijacker, but also a gun. But in reality, these two opposing camps are working toward the same goal: securing the cockpit and making flying an airplane a safe experience for everyone on board. During the events of September 11, future terrorists...... middle of paper ......daily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28406>House Oks guns in cockpits. July 2002. MSNBC News. November 13, 2002 Senator calls for arming pilots. Jon Dougherty. March 2002. WorldNet Daily. November 13, 2002 The House votes to allow guns in the cockpit. July 2002. CNN. November 13, 2002. Draw a bead on the weapons in the cockpit. Elliott Hester. September 2002. St. Petersburg Times. November 13, 2002 Press conference with Senator Robert Smith (R-NH); Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT); and Sen. Barbra Boxer (D-CA). Press conference or speech- LEXIS NEXIS (search engine) 10 Wednesday. July 2002. Federal Press Service. November 10. 2002