Guns have no place on airplanes - in the cabin or the cockpit - despite the Bush administration’s plan to test run a program that will arm America’s commercial pilots.

Sources close to the White House told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the administration’s plan will be announced soon and Congressman John Mica, R-Fla., said that Bush said he will work with Capitol Hill to arm pilots. Mica is the chairman of the House aviation subcommittee.

Supporters of the plan say arming pilots could prevent planes from being hijacked the way the four airliners was used in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were.

But putting guns in cockpits is not the answer. Pilots fly planes, they don’t fight crime. They are not security officers and adding that responsibility to their jobs would only be a danger to them, their crews and passengers.

Guns should not be allowed in planes, whether on a passenger or pilot. The only people who should be allowed to have them are air marshals, who are best trained to offer protection.

The best way to keep planes from being hijacked is to lock pilots in the cockpit, behind bulletproof doors. By reinforcing cockpit doors and not letting anyone in or out while the plane is in the air, pilots and passengers will be the safest.

The Federal Aviation Administration is already working on this plan and the reinforced doors are set to be installed on all commercial aircraft by April.

Security checks have become stricter in the nation’s airports since Sept. 11, but there is always room for improvement. Preventing terrorism in the air is and should be among our nation’s top priorities, but letting guns onto planes will not improve things.

The Bush administration’s plan to arm pilots, even if only temporarily, would create a danger to the pilot, passengers and others. Cockpit doors should remain locked and reinforced to better keep America’s skies safe.