Metal Detectors in Malls

[Doug.38PR]

I was glancing over a front page article in USA today this morning about increasing Mall security. Homeland Security has hinted that it might come to having metal detectors in malls. (thus excluding CHLers from carrying...unless they allowed it and had to tell guards at the gate they were armed).
On what authority could the government install metal detectors in a privately owned mall? (of course these days due to things like the Patriot Act, the government does what ever it wants...because they can)


This Nebraska malls shooting is an isolated incident, and anyway, if people there had been carrying guns somebody else might very well have dropped that crazy nameless fatherless child (preaching to the choir)

[anygunanywhere]

I do not think the gooberment would put metal detectors on private property malls, but I have been wrong before.

When the metal detectors go in. I will never go there. I very seldom go there now, and when I do I pack.

Any place that has to have that much perceived security does not need my buisiness.

Anygun

[Xander]

Homeland Security has hinted that it might come to having metal detectors in malls.

On what authority could the government install metal detectors in a privately owned mall? (of course these days due to things like the Patriot Act, the government does what ever it wants...because they can)

I didn't see anywhere in the article where Homeland Security was suggesting that they might consider installing metal detectors in malls. Though it talked about the potential for metal detectors, I didn't ever see it suggested that it would be a government initiative. If I missed that bit, can you direct me to it?

[Smokewagon]

I would think that 99.9% of the people entering a mall would activate a metal detector. Be like airport security. If mall security became like DFW or Logan International, that would be enough to keep shoppers away.

[bpet]

I seriously doubt that Homeland Security could/would pull this off. They have enough problems with metal detectors at airports. Can you just imagine what the public out roar would be if you had to remove your shoes to go into a mall?

[Photoman]

What good would metal detectors do? The kid comes in. Pop. Pop. Walks right through and...well...the rest of the story is the same.

[DoubleJ]

yeah, hasn't anyone seen The Matrix?? or a dozen other movies where the "killah" walks up to the metal detector, and.... you get the picture.

[DoubleActionCHL]

Let's not EVEN discuss how completely impractical this would be. Do you have any idea how many people file into the malls and through how many entrances? This would cost a fortune and create hour waits getting into malls. If the government wants to put malls out of business, go right ahead. The only people willing to put up with this nonsense will be the teenagers, who don't spend anything anyway!

[threeg45]

4 or 5 time in a year is not that isolated.

[dukalmighty]

I refuse to remove my shoes to enter a mall,my gun might fall out

[bpet]

For every problem, there is a solution.

I'm thinking a "Universal Mall Access Card"!

To be able to purchase items at the mall, you would have to swipe the UMAC to gain access/egress as you pass through the metal detector. The UMAC would then be enabled to authorize cash/credit purchases.

As a bonus, if you were licensed for concealed carry, you would receive a graduated discount on purchases based on how much time you spent at the mall. This would mitigate the cost for providing armed security and as a side benefit, would incentivize shoppers to get their CCL.

[flb_78]

This is completely feasible. The Federal Government already requires auto makers to include air bags, seat belts, ABS, and crumple zones into a vehicle now. Damn the costs, it's all about safety. I think that if a place wants no carry, then they should then be REQUIRED to GUARANTEE everyone's safety that passes through the door.

[stevie_d_64]

If it ever came to this I would already have a start up internet shopping website and get a part of that market and make millions!!! Millions I tell you!!!

And ohhh, if I had a dime for everytime the metal detector in a private facility came up...I'd be a millionaire!!! Millionaire I tell you!!!

[ScubaSigGuy]

Every mall in Israel has metal detectors at all of the public entrances along with armed and trained security. They ask you if you have a gun and if so you show your permit and on you go.

I am not saying that I am an advocate of it here, but it works there and it works very smoothly.

Of course the security there is much better than the security that I encountered at a local sporting event earlier this week... it may or may not have been a hockey game that I was at on Wednesday evening where my Beltman belt set off the metal detector and instead of having me remove the belt and running me back thorugh, they waved the wand around my waist and waived me through.

It is really a matter of how serious we want to get about security in this country. The public tends to have a very short memory when they might be inconvenienced a few minutes for a security check. If we ever have another terrorist event then everyone will cry that it could have been prevented if security had been stepped up, but until then it's just an inconvenience for most.

Personally, I don't have an issue being checked, I do have an issue when the people doing the checking are untrained, inexperienced, and not being thorough. It ensures that I am not armed becuase I followed the rules, but it doesn't make me feel confident that someone else with evil intent isn't.

I'm done ranting for now

[KD5NRH]

I would think that 99.9% of the people entering a mall would activate a metal detector. Be like airport security.

Not at all, unless the feds are providing the security personnel; private security companies hate the liability of doing any kind of search. and certainly don't want their guards handling the "things that would set off the detector" tray, even for a second.