On Monday, President Bush (R) signed into law the Homeland Security of Act of 2002, marking the most extensive federal re-organization since the creation of the Defense Department in 1947. Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge was named the new secretary-designate of the new Department of Homeland Security. This historic event helped establish one of NRA’s top priorities for the year—as language that would allow qualified commercial pilots to have access to firearms as a last line of defense against terrorist hijackers was included. Under the new law, training is set to begin by the end of February 2003 through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA will train pilots as "federal flight deck officers," which will include training equivalent to federal agents. The new law will also provide the approved pilots with the power to make arrests. Our thanks go out to all of our members who contacted their lawmakers and urged them to ensure the legislation that established the new Homeland Security Department included language that would establish an armed pilots program.
Bush Signs Homeland Security Bill — Includes Armed Pilots Program
Monday, December 2, 2002
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
As your NRA-ILA has reported over the last several weeks, the Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly and Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) have, between them, approved a sweeping array of radical gun control bills aimed, as NRA’s John Commerford says, ...
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Virginia has recently been featured in a lot of headlines about gun control, for all the wrong reasons. A number of them have mentioned a federal gun control bill pending in the U.S. Senate, sponsored ...
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Today, April 23rd, Governor Spanberger Signed HB1525 and SB727/HB1524 into law.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
April 29 was a big day for Second Amendment supporters in Washington, D.C., as ATF announced the confirmation of a new director, Robert Cekada, and rolled out perhaps the biggest one-day regulatory overhaul in the agency’s ...
Monday, April 27, 2026
On Tuesday April 28, the Senate Judiciary Committee, will be hearing Senate Bills 853 & 854, creating a burdensome and costly state licensing and training system for firearm dealers in addition to restricting consumer access to ...
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