Metal detectors and scanners at hotel may be good for security

After the horror in Las Vegas, it has been suggested that perhaps all hotels in the U.S. should have metal detectors. I have no problem with metal detectors in airports, hotels or any place else. When I taught in the Philippines, my daughter and I lived in a rural area, right next to a rice field, and we enjoyed an occasional weekend at a (scanned and guarded — by humans and canines) hotel in the city near our favorite (scanned and guarded) mall.

My daughter, all grown up now, recently returned from a trip to Uganda. Her hotel was surrounded by a guarded cement wall and there were metal detectors at the hotel entrance.

So if U.S. hoteliers feel it’s smart to bring in detectors and scanners and sniffer dogs while waiting for stronger laws to be passed, I’m all for it.

The reason for these measures in Manila and other cities was to protect guests from attacks by — choose one — guerrillas, terrorists or pirates.

We never encountered any guerrillas. I did visit a Peace Corps volunteer who lived on Mindanao, parts of which were controlled by Islamic separatists and all of which now requires special permission for travel by U.S. State Department employees.

None of this worried us. We followed basic rules of personal security, and we never felt unsafe, not during typhoons, earthquakes or a change in government.

The Filipino people have not been entirely fortunate in their leaders, many of whom have been corrupt. But that doesn’t mean bad leaders can’t pass good laws.

When we were there, in 1999-2000, gun ownership was so highly regulated, that it was virtually impossible for most citizens to own one legally and out of the question for me, if I had had any interest in owning one, which I did not. As one ex-pat website put it, Foreigner + Gun = Prison.

It is still illegal for ex-pats to own guns, but it is now easier for Filipino citizens. Whereas, previously there were 10 requirements, there are now only four: mental health screening, police check, drug test, and clearance by the National Bureau of Investigation. And, it goes without saying, small firearms only.

What I don’t understand is why the rest of us aren’t equally determined. It looks like stricter gun laws are just the beginning. How about better training for gun owners? And more paying attention by all of us? And, by the way, installing more scanners couldn’t hurt. ANGELA GRANT, LAKE CLARKE SHORES