Washington ? Dave Barger is the president of JetBlue, the airline that will fly you coast-to-coast in leather seats with personal televisions for less than $100. He knows how to run an airline. He knows how to provide business-class at economy-class rates. He does not know about guns in the cockpit.

In a recent editorial, he wrote, “The arguments against guns in cockpits are overwhelming,” citing such concerns as accidental discharges of the weapons, costs of weapons training and custody of the weapons.

What he failed to note, according to two 747 pilots we interviewed, is that planes are already awash in guns. It is a little-known and unpublicized fact that U.S. marshals, FBI agents, Secret Service agents, police officers, sheriff officers and various other local, state and federal law enforcement personnel all carry their weapons when flying. And there has never been a reported case of one of their weapons accidentally discharging.

On the other hand, the system is rife with holes. The various armed officers boarding aircraft carry documentation that allows them to pass security, and that’s it. The pilots do not even know who among their passengers is armed.

Our 747 pilots said it is only a matter of time before some terrorist abducts and takes the place of an armed officer or identifies, assaults and disarms such an officer on board. And whereas passengers might be able to overwhelm a terrorist wielding a sharp object, they would be hard-pressed to do so against a gun-wielding fanatic.

The question should not be whether or not to arm the pilots, but whether or not to disarm everyone else. Pilots and air marshals should be the only armed people aboard an airplane. All others should be compelled to check their weapons long before reaching the door. Their weapons could be placed in a bulletproof container stored in the cargo hold.

Conversely, pilots and air marshals should be issued weapons just before boarding and return them to an airport armory immediately upon arriving at the gate.

Pilots often have military backgrounds. They are highly trained and well paid. They must be physically fit and drug free. They have leadership skills and take their responsibilities seriously. In short, they are precisely the people on planes who should be armed. It is clearly a way for airlines to get additional services without additional costs.

The flying public would feel more secure knowing the captains of the ship are armed. And terrorists would correspondingly feel less confident in their ability to commandeer a plane in flight.

The Senate and House have passed legislation to allow the arming of America’s commercial 70,000 pilots. The bills must now be ironed out in a House-Senate conference committee and signed by the president. Additional legislation will be required to disarm all of those other armed passengers.

Prediction: Although President Bush has expressed reservations about the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, he will sign the bill into law. He has little choice; both the Senate and House versions passed with veto-proof margins.