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Cato Daily Dispatch for August 8, 2003

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Pilots Criticize Slow Pace of Guns in the Cockpit
U.S. Challenges EU Ban on Genetically Modified Foods
Senate Close to Passing Gun Manufacturer Immunity Legislation

Pilots Criticize Slow Pace of Guns in the Cockpit

"Fewer than 100 pilots have been trained to carry guns in the cockpit in the eight months since Congress approved the idea, and hundreds more are waiting, but pilots and members of Congress say the program is not moving fast enough," according to the Associated Press.

"Pilots say it's more important than ever to get weapons in the cockpit because the Transportation Security Administration froze hiring in the air marshal program in May and the government is warning al-Qaida may try more suicide hijackings."

Cato Institute Senior Editor Gene Healy and Senior Fellow Robert A. Levy argue for allowing pilots to carry guns in the cockpit in the "Restoring the Right to Bear Arms" section of the Cato Handbook for Congress (PDF).

They write: "Just as armed citizens can deter aggression on our city streets, they can do so in our nation's skies. On September 11, 2001, a few hijackers armed with box cutters were able to hold scores of airline passengers at bay, secure in the knowledge that American airplanes are gun-free zones. But when we turn planes, airports, schools, and workplaces into gun-free zones, we also turn them into criminal-safe zones. If on the other hand we make it nearly certain that someone will be armed on every commercial flight, the enemies of liberty will have second thoughts about using American aircraft as weapons of mass destruction."

U.S. Challenges EU Ban on Genetically Modified Foods

"The European Union said today it regretted a US-led challenge at the WTO over an EU ban on bio-engineered foods, insisting its rules were 'clear and non-discriminatory,'" Agence France-Presse reports.

"The United States, Canada and Argentina yesterday asked the World Trade Organisation to rule over the de facto EU moratorium on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)."

In "GM Trade War," Adjunct Scholar Ronald A. Bailey argues that "the threat of mass starvation is the direct consequence of the trade war over genetically improved crops that is brewing between North America and Europe."

He goes on to say, "It's clear that the EU ban is not a safety precaution, but a barrier to trade. The EU is citing phony safety concerns to protect its farmers from competition and to protect its system of bloated farm subsidies."

Senate Close to Passing Gun Manufacturer Immunity Legislation

"Democrats, who believe that their calls for gun controls might have cost them the White House in 2000, are less willing to take on the gun lobby. Polls suggest that public fears about terrorism have helped mute the debate," reports USA Today.

"And now, gun rights supporters are closing in on what probably would be their most enduring victory."

"The Senate is close to passing a bill that would shield firearms manufacturers and dealers from civil lawsuits brought by victims of gun crimes. The measure, which the House passed 285-140 as 63 Democrats voted with the GOP majority, is an effort to shield the gun industry from the type of lawsuits that have been successful against tobacco and asbestos companies."

In "Gun Lawsuits Are No Business Of Congress," Senior Fellow Robert A. Levy writes that "the power to control frivolous lawsuits belongs to the states. When Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce is misused to restrict gun lawsuits, we should not be surprised that it will also be misused to restrict gun possession and ownership."

Jonathan Block, editor, jblock@cato.org