Minnesota Mall gets gun sniffing dog

[DaleA]

Yep. Minnesota in the fore front of technology again. Our Mall of America now has gun sniffing dogs. You have been warned. You can read about it here:

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/...ll-of-america/

From what I've heard it not only alerts to firearms but if it detects a Taurus or High Point it curls it's lips and looks away in embarrassment.

[Kestrel4k]

Kudos for them for catching all those dangerous concealed-carry citizens.

[44 AMP]

None of the "sniffing" systems is infallible, not even dogs.

Trained dogs alert on what they are trained to alert on, and anything else that, to the dog, smells enough like what they are trained to alert on.

I wonder what kind of civil case a lawyer might come up with if you are denied access (or worse searched) to a public place because a dog thought you had a gun, when you didn't....

[DaleA]

There's been a bit of speculation (without an answer) about what the dogs are actually alerting on...gun oil, gun solvent, burnt powder etc.

The question has also come up as to whether or not the Mall of America is a public place or not. There's the owners of the Mall and then the owners of the stores within the Mall and I'm just not astute enough to given any opinion with any weight behind it.

It will be interesting to see what the results of this are (if they even get reported).

[Sharkbite]

I guess the question behind my thought process is…
Does a “No weapons allowed” sign carry the force of law there, or is just a statement of the property owners wishes?

In some states carrying despite the signage is a violation of a specific law and a crime in and of itself. In other states you can be asked to leave the property if armed, but its not a crime.

[zukiphile]

If I visit, I shouldn't use Hoppes No.9 as cologne?

[Paul B.]

I think they've been a "No guns allowed!" location for a very long time. Probably more than ten years now.
Paul B.

[Jim Watson]

What are they going to do if the dog alerts and I don't have a gun?
And I say so.
An idle day, some Hoppes No 9, a dusting of powder off a reloader spill, some powder residue from a trip to the range in those clothes, etc. could lead to interesting interactions.
So do they have a rule against smelling like a gun?

[1972RedNeck]

What are they going to do if the dog alerts and I don't have a gun?
And I say so.
An idle day, some Hoppes No 9, a dusting of powder off a reloader spill, some powder residue from a trip to the range in those clothes, etc. could lead to interesting interactions.
So do they have a rule against smelling like a gun?

I hope there are a lot of gun owners that show up smelling like gun...

[5whiskey]

Oh gosh if I lived in Minneapolis/St Paul I would literally plan it out to roll around in spent cases, reload 100 rounds, and clean several firearms prior to every MOA trip just for grins. In fact, it's probably about the only way MOA would ever convince me to darken its doors. I'm not a mall guy. But I would now... at least a couple times a year.

[snoeproe]

My teenaged nephew was working there around Xmas time a year or two ago, the day after he was at work, 2 people were shot in the mall. They were young people not much older than him.

[georgehwbush]

ya know, 5whiskey; it must be the rebel in us. but i'm totally with you on that. for a long time i carried one of those anti-theft strips in my hat and alarms would go off and i would ignore them... ;/

[DaleA]

alarms would go off and i would ignore them.

One time I saw a guy who set off the alarm stop dead and in a loud commanding voice announce to everyone in the vicinity;

"RED ALERT! RED ALERT! PILOTS, MAN YOUR PLANES!"

Real life story, years and years ago I was at a Best Buy with my 8 year old daughter and we set off the alarm leaving the store. Security checked us out and we were fine but it was only later I realized there had been a person loitering at the exit that left at the same time we did. She didn't hesitate or stop. We did. We were the ones security checked.

[Aguila Blanca]

Years ago, my late wife and I were visiting her family in her native country. One day we went to a mall and hit one of their versions of an anchor store. Wife bought (and paid for) a couple of things, we headed for the exit, and set off an alarm. The big stores in that country have (or had, back then) armed security, so we were stopped. We showed them what we had bought, showed them the receipt, they wanted each item and nothing was amiss. But we still set off an alarm.

We finally figured out that her ten-year old purse, from a store in the United States, still had a security tag buried all the way at the bottom of an interior pocket -- and that's what set off the alarm. It had never set off any alarms in any other stores, ever.

[Midnight Express]

I would not go to that Mall if I was carrying and risk the embarrassment and potential legal jeopardy.

[The Verminator]

Originally Posted by Midnight Express

I would not go to that Mall if I was carrying and risk the embarrassment and potential legal jeopardy.

There's no legal jeopardy.

They can ask you to leave.

That's all.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by The Verminator

There's no legal jeopardy.

They can ask you to leave.

That's all.

I believe you are incorrect. Whether or not a "No firearms allowed" sign carries the force of law depends on state law. According to www.handgunlaw.us , in Minnesota it is illegal to carry in a private establishment (which a shopping mall is) if the premises are posted.

https://handgunlaw.us/states/minnesota.pdf

Places Off-Limits Even With a Permit/License
 a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school building and its improved grounds, whether leased or owned by the school;
 a child care center licensed under chapter 245A during the period children are present and participating in a child care program;
 the area within a school bus when that bus is being used by a school to transport one or more elementary, middle, or secondary school students to and from school-related activities, including curricular, co-curricular, non curricular, extracurricular, and supplementary activities; and
 that portion of a building or facility under the temporary, exclusive control of a public or private school, a school district, or an association of such entities where conspicuous signs are prominently
posted at each entrance that give actual notice to persons of the school-related use.
 Private establishments - if posted or if personally requested to leave by the operator because that establishment bans guns on premises.

[armoredman]

I and my son cleaned his incredibly dirty AR last week, and it took 5 days for the last of the goop to come out of my skin - getting stopped would have led to much fun. But, the last time I was in Minnesota was 1987, everyone I knew who lived up there is dead, no need to return.

[FITASC]

People still go to malls? Around here, they are empty.

[armoredman]

One mall in Phoenix was recently demolished, gonne be apartments now.