Located out in Suburban Minneapolis, the Mall of America, as the country’s largest shopping mall, is slated to start testing the use of metal detectors for all guests in the wake of multiple recent gun-related incidents.
The northern door entrances of the mall have seen metal detectors installed, though the location could end up changing during the period of this testing.
“With Mall of America being such a unique property, it is important to thoroughly evaluate this technology onsite to ensure its accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency,” explained Laura Etecht, a spokeswoman for the mall, via a release made public this past Tuesday.
The Mall of America already sports a ban on all firearms, but this new program is the first time the enormous shopping mall has chosen to set up metal detectors. The added measures concerning security take place in the wake of two recorded incidents involving firearms that took place in August, including one which saw a man opening fire as part of a fight. However, there were no injuries reported in the incidents.
The other incident included an armed robbery that took place on August 26th when 29-year-old Cartier T. Alexander, of Woodbury, allegedly robbed a pair of stores shortly after a robbery of the same type that took place at an area pawnshop.
Alexander was slammed with charges of first-degree aggravated robbery which involved a Lids store and a kiosk location prior to being taken into custody. He was officially arrested while carrying a loaded rifle, as stated by reports.
To go along with the incidents that took place back in August, another shooting took place within the mall which injured a pair of people on New Year’s Eve. A male, aged 18, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault for firing a round that hit two men. Both survived their injuries.
The shopping center also sports a large security program made up of highly trained people. Additional efforts include bike patrol, K9 units, and special operations plainclothes officers.
To go along with the security, a policy has been instated which orders anyone under 16 years of age to be accompanied by an adult of at least 21 years of age from 3 p.m. to close every day. Said policy extends to all hours for special events.
Advocates of the Second Amendment have previously battled with officials from the mall, stating that they do not have the power to set up a ban against legal gun owners from taking their weapons into common areas.
“This is completely ridiculous. The complete opposite of what they should be doing,” expressed Minnesota state Rep. Tony Cornish (R) in the wake of a threat against the mall back in 2015. “If we’re threatened with an attack, the last thing you want to do is disarm citizens.”