Something Jmhm said made me think of this. . .

[xiphias]

In your opinion, which is more damaging to freedom?

1) A terrorist hijacking a plane and killing everyone on board.
2) A population getting used to the idea that going through a security checkpoint is a normal, unobjectionable part of daily life, and it is a reasonable expectation when traveling that government agents will search your belongings and person.

Comments

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

The worst part is that we've accepted (2) and I'm not confident that (1) is more remote a possibility than it was four years ago.

As to your seperate question of whether I want everyone on the plane packing heat -- frankly, no, I wouldn't. Not unless you've been specifically trained in high-altitude combat like the Sky Chiefs and pilots (hopefully) have. I can see how you might see that as a repudiation of your Second Amendment rights, but I don't want to hope for the well-regulation of any militia that's joining me in a pressurized capsule six miles above the earth.