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YOUR flight left on time and you are gazing out of the window. Suddenly, a passenger brandishes what could be a knife. Do you (a) look around for a sky marshal in the hope that they will draw their gun; or (b) feel sick at the thought of anyone – even the good guy – wielding a firearm inside a crowded plane at 30,000 feet?

As the debate about sky marshals rumbles on, one crucial factor remains under-explored: if sky marshals must be armed, what type of weapons should they carry? The assumption seems to be that conventional firearms are the…

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