Metal Detectors Stand in For Real Action on Gun Violence
The Happiest Place on Earth can only remain so by bracing against the possibility of children being mowed down by assault weapons as they await a turn on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster.
Walt Disney World, along with other major theme parks, just caved to the threat of a mass shooting.
News broke Thursday that visitors were greeted with newly installed metal detectors or handheld wands at the entrance gates.
The theme parks have long patted bags, and security in the past has found visitors attempting to tote their guns along on their day of fun.
Clearly, this is a sign of our times. And it's not a very uplifting one.
Some see this as preparedness in the face of our new normal, but it's really an abdication. Disneyland is locking itself up against the possibility of mass shooting because Americans are starting to accept that nothing else can be done.
This is the normalizing of fear. And it happens because politicians are unwilling to do anything to actually make us safer in the form of expanded background checks or limits on gun ownership.
Indeed, legislators in many states have succeeded in liberalizing gun ownership, such as by allowing concealed carry without a permit or training, which ensures that more people are armed in public, which leads to the need for metal detectors.
Theme park officials were coy with media about whether the metal detectors at the entrances were permanent or simply a measure for the busier holiday season. However, it seems likely that, once installed, the metal detectors will remain a part of the highly monitored Disney experience.
How Disney apparently made the decision is interesting. The company had to weigh whether its visitors would be more inconvenienced and put off by guards at the gate or more relieved that they would stop potential assailants from bringing guns into the theme park. Disney officials made the call that passing through metal detectors would not only be tolerated but might even be welcomed by visitors. Early feedback seems to confirm their decision.
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