Fox Theatre Atlanta - "Disarm Yourself Or Don't Come In!" © 2016 Phillip Evans

So now the Fox Theatre decides to install metal detectors to keep out ________ (I'll let you take a stab at the answer here first. Take a few seconds to think about it while you play that familiar Jeopardy melody in your head).

Bzzzzt! Times up!

To keep out good guys with guns! That's right, not just "regular" law-abiding citizens but even off-duty police officers must leave their pistols in their vehicles for criminals to steal and use in other crimes. To be fair, off-duty officers hired for security at the Fox will be allowed to be armed.

I certainly respect the Fox Theatre's right to not allow citizens the ability to defend themselves, since it is privately owned property. But I also respect the right of my dollars to never be traded there for the privilege of walking unarmed in a downtown Atlanta parking lot at night and sitting in a theater no matter how good the show may be. Thanks, but no thanks.

Photo by Scott Ehardt

In addition, a mildly determined bad guy can still smuggle a firearm into the theater in spite of their metal detectors. Here's why: They don't do pat-downs, require you to remove any articles of clothing, nor x-ray anything.

Half-Hearted Security Doesn't Work

The TSA uses metal detectors at airports, but they also feel you up and make you remove stuff, as well as radiate your bags. That is what is truly needed to keep out guns. 

Oh wait! Looks like even with these measures a man brought a loaded pistol aboard a jet plane just last year on a flight from Atlanta to Chicago.

If the Fox Theatre doesn't do pat-downs, require removal of belts, or x-ray bags, then bad guys will be able to easily smuggle weapons past the metal detectors.

All a bad guy needs to do is claim they have a metal hip joint or metal spinal pins, or claim they have a metal implant in an ankle while carrying inside a boot. Or, they could hide a pistol inside their pants just beneath a large metal belt buckle. I'm sure there are other tricks such as false-bottom bags. Remember, they don't x-ray anything.

"Sitting Duck Shoot-Em Up" - Now Playing

If the Fox is going to disarm their patrons, it needs to have real security, not security theater, otherwise their patrons will be sitting ducks - unless a hired gun (maybe one or two are on duty at most) manages to come to your rescue in time. 

If a bad guy does manage to get a weapon in and injures or kills people, I hope the Fox Theatre gets sued for not allowing innocent people the chance to effectively defend themselves. Perhaps it would not be a winning lawsuit (you do have a choice to not go there, after all), but at least it would help shine a light on the issue and convince others to avoid places that would make them helpless at a venue, not to mention walking to or from it in a dangerous parking lot where criminals will now know you'll be unarmed when they see you going to and from the Fox Theatre.

Self-Protection Not To Be Delegated

One may argue that the theater does have armed security, so all is well. Let me then ask, how many good guy guns would you want available if a couple of heavily armed terrorists decide to shoot the gatekeepers and rush right past the metal detectors? Or if an unarmed terrorist gets in and then opens a back or side door to let in his armed comrades?

I say let people be armed to protect themselves wherever they go where a criminal or terrorist might show up. We have the natural human right to save our own lives! Each of us has only one life after all, and they are rather precious. In the case of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, let's let our non-transferred dollars send them that message. I know I will.

If you write them to inquire, you'll get the following canned response:

"Thank you so much for reaching out to us and sharing your concern regarding the Fox Theatre's policy on firearms. The Fox Theatre’s policy states that licensed, on-duty law enforcement officers are permitted to bring their firearms on premise after reporting to the theater’s contracted Atlanta Police Department officer. The Fox Theatre is committed to creating a safe and pleasant environment for our guests and employees. We maintain a close working relationship with the Atlanta Police Department in order to execute our comprehensive security programs, and we employ off-duty officers to enforce the theater’s code of conduct. [bold mine]

We are saddened that you will not be returning to the Fox, but should you change your mind, we'd love to have you back.

My Best,
Jamie Vosmeier | Senior Director, Sales and Marketing
660 Peachtree Street NE | Atlanta, GA 30308"

Is This Their Code of Conduct?

Code of Conduct: We at the Fox Theatre forbid shooting, stabbing, or otherwise causing great bodily harm or death to our patrons. Of course, we also forbid our patrons to carry the arms that would allow them to prevent such attacks on themselves.