Reading that excerpt reminds me why I don't buy Clancy's books anymore. His books take so long to get through because he puts in so much unnecessary crap. I guess his books would be a whole lot smaller if it was just action, action, action. In the end, the good guys always win despite rediculous odds. Its kind of like Rambo, the one man army!
Anyways, For you guys pushing for anyone being allowed to carry on a plane, get real. You are assuming that everyone is a level headed law abiding citizen. What if the bad guys are the only ones carrying? What if there aren't enough good guys carrying? What if there is a shoot out and a bunch of people get killed, including the good guys? What if the terrorist then take control of the airplane and then ram it into another building FULL of people. Don't forget how lucky we were that 9/11 occured early in the morning rather than later in the day. The death toll would have been at least 10 times greater. I know how gung ho we can be about pushing for our right to carry but airplanes are a bad idea.
You guys are assuming that all cops are good guys. What about sleeper cells or converts? Don't forget about the US soldier who threw a grenade in the mess hall in Iraq. Besides, how many cops can hit the broad side of a barn? Just because they have a gun doesn't mean they know how to use it. If they are SWAT or happen to be a gun enthusiast, then maybe. But how would you go about approving one and not the other? It is much better to have a specially trained sky marshall who is carry frangible ammo to minimize incidental damage.
Like it or not, there really are places better off where guns are restricted. If you don't like it, you can drive. Just make sure to avoid the states that don't have reciprocity for your permit. You might find that it is rather hard to get around. Forget about flying internationally since most countries don't have such liberal gun policies. I carry a mini Maglight or a Surefire L2, either of which can be used as a kubaton in a pinch. I travel quite a bit and have had no problems carrying either. Airlines prohibit pretty much everything else including firarms, knives of any length (pretty much any sharp object including screwdrivers), and defensive sprays such as mace and pepper spray. I don't know about Tazers but I would assume those are also prohibited. If you are really that concerned, don't fly.