Double D:
According to my information, the pilots who choose to be armed ARE trained to 'professional' standards, and officially given some kind of Law Enforcement credential. (You don't really expect this government to simply hand out guns to aircrews do you?)
Not all pilots choose to do this, and those who do are in large part either ex Lawdogs or military, already have some firearms knowledge.
All I want is for there to be another simple, practical common sense, option.
I like the idea of having an already competent and trained aircrew member be given additional training and have a gun in the cockpit. If you want to armour plate the door, well that is another option, with its pros and cons as do any of the options.
As for the issue of " how do you tell who is a cop and who isn't?" Doesn't really seem to apply to "how do you tell who are the pilots and who aren't?":!:
As someone who has been in aviation most of my life, (part of it as a commercial pilot - not airlines) I know that the safety of the aircraft and its cargo/passengers is morally and legally the responsibility of the pilot. I want them to have some ability to meet those demands. Locking them in the cockpit in a hijacking situation leaves them only a single avenue available - fly the airplane and land at the first available airfield.
Those who choose to jump through the legal and bureaucratic hoops in order to be deemed able to carry in the cockpit are not satisfied with that avenue as their only choice.
And if you are in favor of CCW laws (I don't know if you are - but you are on this forum so I'm guessing you might be) the concept is very much the same. One of the biggest advantages to CCW is that the 'bad guys' don't know who is carrying, thereby making the general population safer. Same applies to the airlines, the 'bad guys' won't know which pilots are armed, and in general this will make all of us a bit safer, and make their job harder.
And yes, I fully expect that whoever has those "rusty skills" or not so rusty skills will do what they have to do if the options evaporate and however the situation develops. That also is a separate issue, and another option.
And when I think of the alternative; being shot down by an F-16, I want just one more layer of response between my tender behind and a Sidewinder missle. :!: All those layers may not stop my butt and the Sidewinder becoming acquainted, but personally, I prefer that they be there anyway.
Cheers