Security at music festivals rose to the task; now legislators should too
With their extensive security operations at this past weekend’s Life is Beautiful festival, local law enforcement officers and other emergency responders showed that the 58 victims of the Oct. 1 shooting didn’t die in vain.
Security presence at the festival was immediately visible to attendees, as Metro officers with high-powered rifles were among the personnel manning the entrances. But much more was happening to protect the festival-goers, the result of tragic lessons learned from the Oct. 1 attack.
Some of the operations at Life is Beautiful weren’t visible to the naked eye, as they were happening both on- and off-site and both in and out of view.
Snipers were positioned at areas around the festival grounds, and a large group of plainclothes officers were assigned to patrol inside the gates. Enhanced security measures, such as restricted access to the parking garage and tightened access to elevators and amenities, were adopted at the Ogden, which overlooks the Life is Beautiful grounds. The Oct. 1 gunman had booked accommodations at the Ogden before carrying out the attack, and had done an internet search for an estimate of the festival’s crowd size.
In an interview this month, Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Metro had also been working with first responders to enhance medical services and optimize response times to emergencies at outdoor events. The Life is Beautiful grounds featured four medical tents, offering extensive capacity to handle emergencies.
In addition, festival organizers and authorities worked together to establish such security measures as a ban on large bags.
With those and other measures in place, the Life is Beautiful festival went off without incident. The same was the case at the I Heart Radio event at T-mobile Arena, where there was also an expanded security presence. Metro further deserved credit for staffing the events without having to pull officers off of their regular duty, as the personnel for the events signed up for special shifts to han- dle security.
The fact that no trouble was reported at the events is a credit to the crowd, to the festival’s organizers and to the authorities who worked to keep everyone safe.
But there’s only so much that officials can do to offer protection. Lawmakers must do their part to reduce the risk of violence across the board, including at outdoor events.
The Oct. 1 attack screamed out the need for such legislation as a ban on sales of assault-type weapons, high-capacity magazines and tracer bullets. It’s also imperative for Nevada lawmakers to watch a court case aimed at forcing implementation of the state’s universal background check law, and be ready to step in and make a legislative fix if the appeal fails.
Establishing such policies won’t cure the nation’s epidemic of gun violence overnight, or by themselves.
But until national and state leaders begin rejecting the National Rifle Association’s insane proposition that the way to reduce gun violence is with more guns, we’re never going to start getting our arms around the problem.
And meanwhile, we’re going to put those who are sworn to protect and serve us in harm’s way — and ourselves, as well.
Don’t mistake this as a call for a ban on guns or an end to the Second Amendment. Law-abiding Americans should continue to have the right to purchase and own weapons. At the same time, the ever-rising tide of gun violence speaks to the need to keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them and reduce the destructive power of weapons available to civilians.
During Life is Beautiful, local authorities provided proof that even when the unthinkable happens, we can find a way to respond, adapt and improve. Their efforts were a tribute of sorts to the Oct. 1 victims, whose memory inspired months of work aimed at protecting others.
But security and medical operations are only one facet of keeping people safe. Lawmakers, it’s your turn to step it up.