This editorial originally appeared in the Washington Times. Republished with permission.

After the September 11 attacks, commercial airline pilots were allowed to carry guns if they completed a federal-safety program. No longer would unarmed pilots be defenseless as remorseless hijackers seized control of aircraft and rammed them into buildings.

Now President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM NRA CHIEF LOBBYIST CHRIS W. COX ON ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER'S RECENT REMARKS SUPPORTING REINSTATEMENT OF THE FAILED 1994 GUN AND MAGAZINE BAN

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, 65 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR), expressed their opposition to the reinstatement of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. These congressmen cited numerous studies that proved the 1994 ban was ineffective, and they strongly urged Attorney General Holder to stop his effort and instead focus on the enforcement of existing gun laws.

NRA would like to thank Congressman Ross for his leadership on this effort. We will continue to work with Members of Congress from both parties on this important issue.

View the letter, which was signed by Ohio Democrats Tim Ryan, John Boccieri, Zack Space, and Charlie Wilson: