The Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program is a voluntary training and certification that allows pilots to carry a handgun in the cockpit as an additional security measure. Not only did the TSA suspend the pilot from the program, the sheriff’s office in his area pulled his county issued state permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Homeland Security big brother antics and an abuse of power as far as I’m concerned, unless the pilot really did release confidential security information concerning San Francisco’s international airport. I already knew about what I saw in the video, it was common knowledge that ground crews did not have to go through the full security we experience as travelers.

The TSA may certainly have the authority to suspend the pilot from the FFDO program, but the sheriff’s office stepping in to the situation (what would they have to do with this?) seems totally unjustified. Sending four federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies to the pilots home – unannounced – is overkill and was done to send a threatening message to the pilot and the community.

From News 10 in Sacramento.

The 50-year-old pilot, who lives outside Sacramento, asked that neither he nor his airline be identified. He has worked for the airline for more than a decade and was deputized by the TSA to carry a gun in the cockpit.

He is also a helicopter test pilot in the Army Reserve and flew missions for the United Nations in Macedonia.

Three days after he posted a series of six video clips recorded with a cell phone camera at San Francisco International Airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies arrived at his house to confiscate his federally-issued firearm. The pilot recorded that event as well and provided all the video to News10.

At the same time as the federal marshals took the pilot’s gun, a deputy sheriff asked him to surrender his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

A follow up story indicates the pilot informed the TSA he would voluntarily esign from FFDO, and the TSA stated they would drop the issue. To me, that indicates the pilot did nothing wrong and the government was just throwing their weight around. Again, no justification for pulling his state permit either. If they man really did violate security rules … let’s here it.

What say you?

Overnight update: Allahpundit at Hot Air and Powerline writing. Drudge Report seems to be taking the story over-the-top suggesting his home was searched, which is not indicated in the articles I’ve read. AP is wondering if there was really a security leak of information within one or more of six of the YouTube videos, but if there was, you would think the TSA would not just drop the issue as long as the pilot resigned from the FFDO program.

Doug Powers at Malkin’s site writing this morning.

Some suggest this is an administration attempt to disarm pilots, but my quick research indicates this probably is not true. I read the editorial yesterday, but I elected not to write about it since the opinion piece was so vague.

… President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology.

The Obama administration this past week diverted some $2 million from the pilot training program to hire more supervisory staff, who will engage in field inspections of pilots.

In fiscal year 2007, the program received $25 million in funding, and in 2008 it was suggested that funding increase by $2.5 million. If the Obama administration is diverting $2 million from the program elsewhere, this is not an attack on the concept of arming pilots.

What does concern me is statements noted in the editorial from program participants.

Since Mr. Obama’s election, pilots have told us that the approval process for letting pilots carry guns on planes slowed significantly. Last week the problem went from bad to worse. Federal Flight Deck Officers – the pilots who have been approved to carry guns – indicate that the approval process has stalled out.

Pilots cannot openly speak about the changing policies for fear of retaliation from the Transportation Security Administration. Pilots who act in any way that causes a “loss of confidence” in the armed pilot program risk criminal prosecution as well as their removal from the program. Despite these threats, pilots in the Federal Flight Deck Officers program have raised real concerns in multiple interviews.

For those of you involved in the FFDO program – is this true?

Since less than 3 percent of flights have air marshals, I’m quite fine with pilots having access to a firearm as a last resort to keep hijackers off the flight deck.

FFDO training is not your everyday gun safety and shoot at a few targets class. For a full week, pilots review legal issues, use of force, firearms training and defensive tactics. They are trained specifically for protection of passengers – by keeping hijackers off the flight deck.

Training is provided by the Federal Air Marshall Service, which is the right organization since they too, deal with guns inside pressurized tin cans at flight level 250. (Little ATC lingo for you there…)

The Times notes program participants are – for a lack of a better phrase – very well behaved.

The 12,000 Federal Flight Deck Officers, the pilots who have been approved to carry guns, are reported to have the best behavior of any federal law enforcement agency. There are no cases where any of them has improperly brandished or used a gun. There are just a few cases where officers have improperly used their IDs.

Fewer than one percent of the officers have any administrative actions brought against them and, we are told, virtually all of those cases “are trumped up.”

Other than the stupid holster design – click on image to enlarge  – FFDOs need to deal with, this is a good program that should be continued.

Ed at Hot Air asks if we are disarming pilots, as does Malkin and Atlas Shrugs.