Having been a police officer, and knowing what the laws of the State of Texas are, I can attest competently that a police officer acting in official discharge of his/her duties is allowed and required to carry a firearm anywhere the state has jurisdiction. This includes all civilian airports that fall within the political boundaries of the State of Texas. A police officer that is not acting in official capacity is allowed to carry anywhere in the state and, most of the time, required to carry within the boundaries served by the department that they are employed by. If the aircraft is owned by the city, then FAA regulations only serve to regulate who acts as pilot, and under what conditions the individual operating the aircraft can do so (notwithstanding, it also regulates how such employed aircraft can be equipped). The FAA furthermore, from what I can glean from what Denny has said, is only interested in enhancing the existing laws respective to each state, regarding general firearm carry where commercial aviation is concerned.
The main concern I was trying to have addressed was whether I would have to pay for the fuel and the aircraft.
The issue of dictating how I allowed a firearm to be carried by authorized persons was a separate, though no less important issue born out of a concern for safety. I would be flying out of a municipal airport, and flying countywide surveillance, so there wouldn't be much of an issue regarding interjurisdiction. The main concern is that, regardless of how many safety features are designed into a modern firearm, 10,000 feet, or 200 feet for that matter, is no place to find out how reliable (or unreliable) a given feature might be, plus, a police officer is not going to be discharging a firearm from the aircraft. Therefore, a pilot in command has to be given wide latitude on dictating what goes on in his/her aircraft. Afterall, it is he or she who will ultimately be held responsible for the safe operation of that craft.
Please correct me if I've erred, Denny.
|