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Matthew Corcoran

Dr. Lyn Freymiller

Rhetoric & Civic Life 1

20 October 2016

Americas Continuously Evolving Implementation of National Security

Throughout the world, the United States as a nation has earned multiple nicknames, the

most prominent being The Great American Melting Pot as well as The Land of Opportunity.

Being one of, if not the most advanced nations in the world, the United States is able to provide a

decent quality of life for almost every citizen within its borders. While the government works to

ensure that things stay in order and that all of its citizens are safe, it cant protect against

EVERYTHING. Despite each and every effort to remove certain threats, there will never be a

level of complete security. While modern society features some of the most advanced state-of-

the-art equipment and precautionary technologies, things havent always been so complex. Its

taken multiple incidents and national catastrophe to ignite countless debates, the passing of

legislation, and an attempt to enforce new means of protection. Periods of normality and

harmony in the United States have been halted on multiple occasions, and the rebuttal by the

government reflects its means to bring an end to anything that could jeopardize the safety of

American citizens.

Each and every day, some form of security measures are updated constantly; the need for

protection is one that will never expire. While the level of effectiveness is fairly high (relative to

the successful implementation of certain measures), this hasnt always been the case. In the latter

parts of the 1900s, the quality of defense wasnt necessarily poor, but it certainly wasnt up to
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par. This is especially the case when considering the education system. Its understandable to

assume why this is to be true, though, because school settings are often supposed to be held in

the regard of being a place in which students are always safe. This all changed, however, in

1999. On April 20th that year, two male students, 18-year old Eric Davis and 17-year old Rylan

Klebold, shot almost forty people and left thirteen of them dead in a mass shooting before

ultimately killing themselves. The two students were armed with pipe bombs, carbon dioxide

grenades, and multiple firearms. Despite the fact that they had been under previous legal

investigation for content that they had posted online, the lack of any security at the school is

what enabled them to cause the amount of harm that they did (Schabner). They were able to enter

the school without any questioning, heavily armed with bombs and guns, and committed mass

murder.

This is something that should NOT be able to happen under any circumstances.

According to ABC News, who has cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as of

February 2016, there have been 65 school shooters, whether thwarted or not, that have

referenced the Columbine High School shooting as their primary motivation (Pearle). Had there

been even the slightest preventative measures in place, the whole attack may have been halted

beforehand, and the number of shootings since may be substantially smaller. Following the

shooting, schools around the nation started to increase security, however not at a grand level. The

majority of improvements were simply locking doors and adding security cameras, which dont

always prove to be enough (Schabner).

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, is another incident that serves

to prove that there has surely been a lack of national security. Possibly being the most

devastating mass shooting in Americas school system in history, the Sandy Hook shooting has
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turned millions of heads and propelled massive changes in schools across the country. On

December 14th, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed twenty-six individuals, twenty of

whom were first-graders between the ages of six and seven years old (Krueger). Lanza, armed

with a pistol and a rifle, was suspect of a prior altercation with school security guards. It was

later determined that Lanza shot his mother prior to the school attack. He entered the building by

shooting the glass windows out of the locked doors with a rifle, which was an occurrence that

wouldnt have been easy to manage or even prevent entirely. Regardless, an armed male obtained

access into the school and committed mass murder.

This is another example of, although tricky, an instance that may have been prevented

with some more updated tactics. Yes, there is the argument that only few people, if anybody,

could visualize a mass shooting at an elementary school, so maybe there isnt an immense need

for high-level strategies. However, this is now something that needs to be continuously taken to

light in order for anything to be achieved. A majority of schools across the nation, including

Sandy Hook Elementary, now have armed police officers on the grounds at all times. In addition

to the extra man-power, some schools now use metal detectors as well as specially designed keys

for safety purposes; only parents with these keys will be granted access to the building

(Krueger). The number of cameras in educational settings, inside and outside, has increased by a

substantial amount. Cameras, while they may seem like a minor precaution, do much more

than record footage; they often provide feelings of reassurance to the students who feel that there

might not be anybody looking out for them (especially those who were involved in Sandy Hook).

Its nice to see that people are starting to finally take action, especially considering the fact that

on average, there was 1 school/campus shooting per week in 2015 (Pearle).

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Schools arent the only places that have seen improvements in security, as many other

facilities and entities have made some pretty drastic changes. One of these changes is perhaps the

most obvious: airports. Just over fifteen years ago, America experienced horrendous tragedy

when a band of terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners, a suicide mission that resulted in the death

of approximately 3,000 people. When discussion of September 11th, 2001 arises, millions of

questions almost immediately come to mind in any individual, the most common being: How

did they get through security? The answer is simple: there wasnt enough of it. The differences

between airport and travel security in the early 2000s, when compared to today, are jaw-

dropping (OConnor). Its not extremely difficult to observe how some poor regulations that

were in place led to what was ultimately the largest terrorist attack that America has ever seen.

Prior to 9/11, the government didnt have responsibility over airport security. This was

handled by individual airports and the hiring of private security agencies (OConnor). There

were poor restrictions in regards to what was allowed on aircrafts as well; passengers were

permitted to bring four-inch blades, baseball bats, and box cutters on board. Individuals who may

have felt suspect had no reason to worry about being placed on a no fly or terrorist watch list.

These lenient, lightweight rules and exploited regulations are what allowed the nineteen al-

Qaeda members to get through security while armed and kill thousands of people.

Today, however, things are a little different. Modern airports, such as the Minneapolis-St.

Paul International Airport, now utilize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rather

than private security companies. Blades of all sizes, baseball bats, and box cutters are now

banned (as of 2006) on airlines, among other things, such as liquids with a volume of greater

than 3.4 fluid ounces and printer ink cartridges (OConnor). The no fly and terrorist watch list

are very closely and extensively monitored at all times, and all individuals are subject to full
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body scans, which are now often required by hundreds of airports across the nation. These

advancements have led to not only a remarkably increase in reduction of travel-related

catastrophes, but also the safety and sense of security in American travelers.

Former President George W. Bush made very clear that airports wouldnt be the only

entities receiving major security upgrades. On September 27th, 2001, he made a statement at

Chicagos OHare International Airport. His proposal involved installing reinforcements to

cockpit doors, advocating for the use of the National Guard in all airports and aircrafts, and

supporting the revitalization of the Federal Air Marshall program (Sweet, 2-3). By doing so,

President Bush reinstalled some temporary sense of safety in American citizens, while working

to obviate distress and fear.

American schools and airports are far more safe today than ever before. The growing

awareness and evolving strategies are ensuring civilians their safety and their lives every second

of every day. One must consider, though, that these are locations that typically host hundreds, if

not thousands of people at a time. It seems like it shouldnt be too much of a burden to keep

these people safe from any form of major threat. There are, however, locations that can feature

tens to hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators, which tend to be much more

difficult. Many of these places play host to some of Americas most coveted, worshipped

members: collegiate and professional athletes. While there are certainly measures that are taken

to protect athletes, fans, and staff from danger, there have been incidents in the past that serve to

cause alarm.

The Boston Marathon: the race that every marathoner dreams of competing in. Every

year, approximately thirty-thousand qualified runners take part in the most prestigious marathon

in the United States. Thousands of family members, friends, and even co-workers line the streets
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in order to cheer on their loved ones in the greatest 26.2 miles of their lives. On April 15th, 2013,

what was supposed to be the race of a lifetime turned into a nightmare. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan

Tsarnaev of Kyrgyzstan planted pressure cooker bombs near the finish line, bombs whose

detonations would ultimately leave three dead and almost three hundred others wounded.

Tamerlan was eventually killed in a gun-fight, and Dzhokhar orchestrated a man hunt that left

him critically wounded and, in the end, sentenced to death.

In the wake of the tragedy, its clear that there wasnt much that could have prevented the

bombings. There arent restrictions as to who is able to cheer on runners, so for all most people

knew, they were just carrying extra clothes in the two duffel bags (Lobby). Post-Boston

Marathon bombing, many major cities that host marathons have bomb squads on site, in addition

to sealed manhole covers and removed mailboxes as other precautionary measures. Some cities

even tow cars away that are parked on the surrounding streets the night before.

Marathons arent the only athletic events that are expanding their security. Beaver

Stadium, the third-largest, non-race track stadium in the world, has a capacity of approximately

107,300. It holds that amount almost every Saturday for twelve weeks each year, and its

received multiple threats over the years. For this season, students now have to go through

officials with metal detector wands before getting into the stadium (Fans to See). While this is

a newly enforced precaution, Beaver Stadium has taken multiple measures to ensure the safety of

the students at Penn State and the civilians of State College.

By analyzing the correlation between national catastrophe and natural security, its

evident that the escalation of disaster stirs discussion and leads to security advancements.

Americas former relaxed methods of security implementation have since modernized and

become drastically more advanced in every way. Updated and technologically advanced means
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have led to not only a safer society, but a reassurance to citizens that theyre being looked out for.

As new threats continue to loom ad evolve, hopefully the United States national security

strategies will grow and prove effective against terrorism and all other forms of national

catastrophe.
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Works Cited

"Fans to See Security Changes; New Guest Services Locations at Football Home Opener."

GoPSUSports.com, 30 Aug. 2016, www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-

rel/083016aaa.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2016.

Krueger, Megan. "After Sandy Hook: Reevaluating School Security Measures in Southeast

Michigan." Metro Parent, 9 Jan. 2015, www.metroparent.com/daily/education/school-

issues/sandy-hook-reevaluating-school-security-measures-southeast-michigan/. Accessed

20 Oct. 2016.

Lobby, Mackenzie. "How Will Marathons Change after the Boston Bombings?" Active.com,

www.active.com/running/articles/how-will-marathons-change-after-the-boston-

bombings. Accessed 20 Oct. 2016.

O'Connor, Lydia. "This Is What It Was Like To Go To The Airport Before 9/11." Huffington Post,

10 Sept. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/airports-before-

911_us_57c85e17e4b078581f11a133. Accessed 20 Oct. 2016.

Pearle, Lauren. "School Shootings since Columbine: By the Numbers." ABC News, 12 Feb.

2016, abcnews.go.com/US/school-shootings-columbine-numbers/story?id=36833245.

Accessed 21 Oct. 2016.

Schabner, Dean. "Are Post-Columbine Schools Any Safer?" ABC News, 20 Apr. 2016,

abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96756&page=1.

Sweet, Kathleen M. Terrorism and Airport Security. Lewiston, Edwin Mellen Press, 2002.

Symposium Series.