4 ms·

Frankly the lack of security frightens me. It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR. Then suddenly it's "what were they thinking."

Frankly the lack of security frightens me. It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR. Then suddenly it's "what were they thinking." Happened in France, fortunately with no casualties...

mvid 9y ago
So should every building have scanners and metal detectors? What makes a train different?
- aerovistae 9y ago
  You can't escape a train very easily by comparison to a building.
  - s0rce 9y ago
    You can't escape a crowded train station, especially when underground or a skyscraper when you are on a higher floor. This type of situation can't be controlled everywhere without constantly living in fear. There just isn't any point in trying and usually the security is pointless theatre anyways.
martinald 9y ago
Should we add security for buses too then?
- aerovistae 9y ago
  It could be argued, I think, yes. I do understand your point, it is something I ponder often.
wtfishackernews 9y ago
>It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR. This is the case for any crowded public space. It is unavoidable.
imgabe 9y ago
> It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR It continues to be cool for the thousands of other trips that day and the millions of other trips afterwards where that doesn't happen. Better to build a society that doesn't create people who feel the need to mow down a train car full of people than to treat everyone else like a criminal a priori.
- aerovistae 9y ago
  I agree 100%, but I don't think we're in that society yet.
audunw 9y ago
And what would the cost/benefit analysis of adding security be? Not just the cost of security staff and equipment, but from slowing everyone down and the implicit economic impact on society. Not taking this into account is immoral, because those resources could potentially be spent saving peoples lives in more efficient ways. Terrorism is extremely rare way of dying. I'm extremely skeptical that this accounting will even show a benefit for airport security, but I don't think airport security is mainly about stopping terrorists. It's about controlling what people bring on board the plane, as there's a lot of things that could inadvertantly cause trouble on a plane. The same can not be said for trains to the same degree. Also, planes themselves can be used as effective weapons if taken over. Don't think that goes for trains, especially where they're electrified.
barsonme 9y ago
Thalys train attack? It was an AKM, not an AR. A simple metal detector would've caught a long gun, even with incompetent security personnel. By only allowing small "carry on" bags in the passenger carriages (storing larger "checked" bags in a separate freight car) the attack space is limited to what can fit in a handbag or backpack. It won't catch everything, but wrt terrorist attacks trains are safer than airplanes. You don't need to go full TSA and make grandma take off her shoes or racially profile people to have decent security.

mvid 9y ago

So should every building have scanners and metal detectors? What makes a train different?

aerovistae 9y ago
You can't escape a train very easily by comparison to a building.
- s0rce 9y ago
  You can't escape a crowded train station, especially when underground or a skyscraper when you are on a higher floor. This type of situation can't be controlled everywhere without constantly living in fear. There just isn't any point in trying and usually the security is pointless theatre anyways.

martinald 9y ago

Should we add security for buses too then?

aerovistae 9y ago
It could be argued, I think, yes. I do understand your point, it is something I ponder often.

wtfishackernews 9y ago

>It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR. This is the case for any crowded public space. It is unavoidable.

imgabe 9y ago

> It's only cool til someone stands up on your car and pulls out an AR It continues to be cool for the thousands of other trips that day and the millions of other trips afterwards where that doesn't happen. Better to build a society that doesn't create people who feel the need to mow down a train car full of people than to treat everyone else like a criminal a priori.

aerovistae 9y ago
I agree 100%, but I don't think we're in that society yet.

audunw 9y ago

And what would the cost/benefit analysis of adding security be? Not just the cost of security staff and equipment, but from slowing everyone down and the implicit economic impact on society. Not taking this into account is immoral, because those resources could potentially be spent saving peoples lives in more efficient ways. Terrorism is extremely rare way of dying. I'm extremely skeptical that this accounting will even show a benefit for airport security, but I don't think airport security is mainly about stopping terrorists. It's about controlling what people bring on board the plane, as there's a lot of things that could inadvertantly cause trouble on a plane. The same can not be said for trains to the same degree. Also, planes themselves can be used as effective weapons if taken over. Don't think that goes for trains, especially where they're electrified.

barsonme 9y ago

Thalys train attack? It was an AKM, not an AR. A simple metal detector would've caught a long gun, even with incompetent security personnel. By only allowing small "carry on" bags in the passenger carriages (storing larger "checked" bags in a separate freight car) the attack space is limited to what can fit in a handbag or backpack. It won't catch everything, but wrt terrorist attacks trains are safer than airplanes. You don't need to go full TSA and make grandma take off her shoes or racially profile people to have decent security.