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Comment by maratc | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't want to fall a victim to a nirvana fallacy, but a person who wants to get a knife into a school could throw the knife over the school fence and pick the knife later. No kind of security scanner can really help in this scenario.

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The scanners are usually at the entrance to the buildings, so you'd theoretically detect it being brought into the building. There are not often scanners at the fenceline or outer perimeter, so no need to lob it over the fence.

A bigger issue for schools, IME, is all the after-hours activities where students have access to the buildings, but there are no scanners being operated. It is easy to bring things in during those times and stash weapons in lockers or other areas. Similarly, it is easier to have an accomplice open a side door to let someone in without being detected during these off hours.

For my high school we only had scanners on external exits that kids came in from the outside world. There were no scanners on doors to the outdoor fields that were inside the perimeter fence. So kids went out for football and PE and band and whatnot without passing through scanners.

And even if there were scanners it’s pretty easy to hide a knife in football equipment or a tuba or something.

Kids have four years to observe the security and to probe it in various ways. If they want to get a blade into the school, they will. I imagine that there are a large number that do it ever year for no other reason than the joy of exploiting the vulnerability.

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