new years eve, suicide bombs, and gun restrictions

The title of this post was going to be "How restrictions make it easier for the police," but that wasn't catchy, so I changed it. In short, Metro had a press conference about how you can't have bags, strollers, coolers, or glass bottles (etc.) on the Strip on New Year's Eve. What they really don't want is someone beating people over the head with a beer bottle or people concealing bombs in large items on the Strip.

The Boston bombers used pressure cookers concealed in backpacks. Someone could easily stuff a similar device or another kind of bomb in a suitcase and pretend to be a tourist. Boom, a BAD THING just happened. With the backpack ban, this is one risk that is mitigated. Illegal bags can be intercepted at control points or searched/interdicted on the Strip. Instead of one bag among thousands, it's one bag that needs dealt with. Probably nothing, but better safe than sorry.

Of course you can still wear a jacket because it's December/January and it's literally freezing this time of year. A halfway intelligent bomber would wear a suicide vest under his jacket because then he's just a dude in a jacket until he isn't any longer. Nothing the cops can do about it unless magic surveillance devices can see under his coat. 

All the ban does is make it easier to deal with bag-borne bombs. The bad guys can still get around the ban. Sure, cops know this but at least this way the non-suicidal bombers are seriously stymied in their operations. You have to be willing to die or think of some way to smuggle smaller weapons in and hope the crowd doesn't beat you to death after they notice you trying to light the fuse on a pipe bomb. Las Vegans would probably do just that to a terrorist too.

When it comes to gun laws, all they do is make it easier to cops to bust bad guys. If carrying guns are banned, the bad guy can get busted for carrying one. A cop doesn't have to worry about warrants or evidence of another crime. Shady dude with a criminal history is packing heat and he's done for. This is why cops don't like constitutional carry because now all they have is a shady guy who they think is up to no good but nothing to arrest him for. 

Citizen carriers know that a criminal will carry if they want to despite the law. They will go unchecked most of the time. We know that where there is a will, there is a way. No law prevents an armed criminal from going armed; only being caught or killed when he does something stupid. Making things easier on the cops doesn't help keep average folks safe, it just disarms us.

Now there is no parallel between bombs and guns here, so don't get that idea, but the "why" Metro is enforcing the bag ban is a useful comparison to explain gun control.