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
Monday, August 31, 2026
Sorry, Michiganders, but the state has developed a serious problem with crime and consequences.
Monday, August 31, 2026
The anti-gun programs and policies of the Biden-Harris administration have been falling like dominoes, lately.
Monday, August 31, 2026
On August 12, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent a letter to U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas) reiterating what gun rights ...
Monday, August 31, 2026
It’s been a long time since Australia had relatively sensible gun laws. While national regulations did not really come into play until the 1990s, the states and territories began imposing severe restrictions on lawful gun owners ...
Monday, August 31, 2026
FAIRFAX, Va. — The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) todaylaunched its first-ever national bus tour, the 2026 NRA’s Gun Bus Battleground Tour, a more than two month, 13-state campaign to energize and ...
More Like This From Around The NRA
