Despite the intention of making planes safer, senators last Thursday overwhelmingly dealt a hefty blow to airline safety by passing legislation which would allow pilots to carry guns onboard. Though it sounds like an easy solution to a complex problem, lawmakers scored more points for their re-election campaigns than actual safety.

The proposal, approved by the Senate, 87-6, after similarly staggering approval by the House in July, would allow pilots to undergo training to be considered federal law enforcement officers, overriding foreign and domestic gun control laws, according to The New York Times. The program, which would cost $900 million initially and $250 million yearly after that, was initially opposed by the Association of Flight Attendants, the Air Line Pilots Association and the Bush Administration, though they now support the measure. Leaders of 21 airlines also wrote senators in opposition to the measure, according to The New York Times.

The idea is illogical and unsafe for several reasons.

Federal approval of introducing unnecessary guns onto airplanes is problematic. Simply allowing guns on planes exponentially increases the possibility of them landing in the wrong hands. The same gun a pilot uses for self-defense can also be used by a hijacker to take control of the plane if the pilot is overcome.

Pilots should also focus entirely on what they are paid to do: fly planes. Members of Congress should instead devote the money to fixing the federal air marshal program. Allow trained law enforcement officers to protect airplane passengers, rather than those who already have the responsibility of taking off, landing and navigating through stormy weather while thousands of feet in the air.

Members of Congress should also focus on making airport security more effective and the structure of planes less vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Rather than arming pilots, legislators should support initiatives to better train and pay airport baggage screeners and security personnel. Lawmakers should work to make cockpit doors more secure, preventing terrorists from even reaching the pilots and plane controls.

In the end, senators and representatives who voted for the proposals will be rewarded, despite its risky nature. With elections right around the corner and the one-year anniversary of 9/11 just two days away, elected officials are looking for easy ways to show the American people their progress on protecting them.

Unfortunately, political progress for many members of the Senate and House of Representatives last Thursday meant less airplane safety for all Americans.