Washington ? Fewer than 100 pilots were certified to carry guns on commercial flights in the eight months after Congress approved the idea, and pilots are blaming the slow pace on the Transportation Security Administration.

The pilots say that with the TSA freezing hires in the air marshal program and the government warning al-Qaida may try more suicide hijackings, it’s more important than ever to get weapons in the cockpit.

“Between the air marshals and the federal flight deck officer force, we should cover a vast majority of the domestic flights,” said Capt. Bob Lambert, president of the Airline Pilots’ Security Alliance. “It just seems like we haven’t learned very much from Sept. 11.”

The first 44 pilots to complete the five-day weapons training program were designated “flight deck officers” on April 19 and began flying with weapons. The second class finished in July.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said he was angry that the TSA was moving at “a snail’s pace.”

“You can’t imagine my frustration,” he said. “This should be a quick orientation.”

TSA spokesman Robert Johnson said the pace would pick up once summer was over.

“We have hundreds in the pipeline ready to go,” he said, adding that as of Aug. 1 classes of no more than 50 pilots were being held every week.

The criticism of the pilots’ program comes amid growing dissatisfaction with the TSA in Congress. Lawmakers say the agency, which has a $900 million shortfall, has grown too large too fast, doesn’t properly prioritize spending and is slow to respond to queries from Congress.

The TSA had opposed arming pilots, believing heightened security at airports, bulletproof cockpit doors and more vigilant passengers made it unnecessary. Critics also said adding weapons to airplanes was inherently dangerous.

Volunteer pilots train to disarm a potential hijacker during a weapon retention class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga., in this April 17 file photo. The Transportation Security Administration began teaching commercial airline pilots how to use a gun and defensive tactics to stop terrorists attempting to hijack an airplane.