Metal Detectors: A Good Idea

Metal detectors are here. These devices are in place to alert the police and school security if a person is attempting to bring any sort of weapon or firearm into the school. Having the metal detectors is a minor inconvenience but it’s a small price to pay for finding weapons quickly and reliably, and for making the school more safe. Also, the mere presence of  metal detectors will discourage anyone from bringing weapons to the school at all.

Some may say that the presence of these devices in our school makes it appear that our district is unsafe, but the opposite is actually true. The metal detectors have been put in place to keep our schools the safe places that they are. Unfortunately, we live in a society where a small group of individuals who are capable of horrible things take advantage of our freedoms, and so for peace of mind, safety precautions need to be taken. 

A minor inconvenience is a small price to pay to ensure that the students of Hamilton Township are safe. I applaud the efforts of our school district for showing the initiative to take preventative measures, rather than waiting for the unthinkable to happen.

Metal Detectors: A Bad Call 

I think the employment of metal detectors serves no practical purpose in the goal of maximizing student safety, only contributing to establishing an environment of fear and paranoia. As far as I can see, the goal of the metal detector policy is to prevent gun violence from entering the school. While the intentions of the policy are noble, it would fail to prevent mass loss of life when it comes to gun violence. Any new security measure implemented should focus first and foremost on preventing the primary threat to safety. In the case of gun violence, this entails preventing the use of Semi-Automatic Rifles to inflict harm on us students. According to the National Criminal Justice Association, the use of Semi-Automatic Rifles in mass shootings is on the rise. The use of Semi-Automatic Rifles in shootings also resulted in average death tolls that are more than double the average death tolls for mass public shootings that did not involve (them) says Prof. Louis Klarevas of Columbia University’s Teachers College. The statistics argue that unconcealable weapons are a greater danger than concealable ones. Looking at the statistics, I believe that metal detectors would not prevent the most urgent threat to student life in our school. While they fail to address the most urgent threat to student safety, they also negatively impact the mentality of our school. The metal detectors make our school environment more closely resemble an airport rather than a place for learning. They unnecessarily contribute to a climate of fear, making it seem like gun violence and death are an ever-present looming danger to students. The metal detectors in our school stand as a monument to fear of a mass tragedy while not being able to meaningfully prevent one. 

I think the district should focus on employing the help of the local police department to protect our school. Doing this, I believe, will both increase meaningful protection of students and improve the atmosphere of our school. Having a greater police presence in our schools can prevent violence that metal detectors would not be able to prevent. Staffing them at our school’s entrances, like what is done currently with the metal detectors, would massively reduce and discourage mass violence from entering our school. I believe this course of action would also improve our school's atmosphere by allowing the police department to build a better relationship with students. Having security that could defend the school from major outside threats while also helping bridge the gap between the community and the police department would, in my opinion, be the superior approach for our school.