I would bet money that a copilot could be unstrapped and in firing position in less than thirty seconds. It's even likely he could aim a gun around without unstrapping. But be that as it may.

In your long, involved, clever, and complicated scenarios for getting into the cabin, how is the situation improved in any way if there is NO gun in the cockpit? Now you still have your hijackers in the cockpit with two unarmed people. Why the heck does he even need a stolen gun at this point? Well, maybe the cabin crew can bite him or something.

In the really old days, all pilots carried guns to protect the mail. Didn't notice anyone having a cow about it back then.

I'm sure the people who made the decision to leave guns off planes did so in the belief planes were safer without them than with them. I'm sure they made the decision based on what will keep planes safest.

The point being overlooked in this statement is that the "people who made the decision" were not the pilots, who one would think should have something to say in this matter, or at least be recognized as knowing something about what they're talking about.