[michaelt]

If the objective is to check whether anyone's hiding an AR-15 in their hotel room, presumably you have to check under the bed and in the closet and in the bathroom, which a fixed camera couldn't do.

Also I think the average hotel guest is completely fine with maids entering during the day when the room's unoccupied, but would not appreciate a camera in the bedroom, with or without a big sign and a big red light.

[smsm42]

A rifle can be disassembled in relatively small components, and re-assembled in minutes. You'd have to do a pretty invasive and thorough search to detect it - and still, the criminal could just keep it in their car, which is not checked, and bring it in 10 minutes before the time, assemble it and do the deed.

[akira2501]

There are collapsible and even folding ARs. They wouldn't be impossible to get into a regular travel suitcase.

[smsm42]

You don't need anything special - most of them can be easily disassembled, with most components fitting a purse, not even suitcase. The barrel probably would be the biggest one - it has to be 16 inches long AFAIK or the law is going to have questions (of course if you're about to commit a crime anyway, it may be not that big of a deal, but most places won't sell you an illegal firearm). Still will fit a standard carryon suitcase, or most common backpacks.

[porkbeer]

Why single out a rifle? Handguns are cheaper, concealable, and used in most mass shootings already. Demonize the actor not the tool.

[ketzo]

“Why single out a rifle”? C’mon, man. The shooting being discussed in this thread would have been orders of magnitude less devastating with just a handgun, and you know it. Don’t make it a weird 2A thing.

The objective is not “make sure nobody in Vegas has a gun” the objective is “prevent a mass casualty event like the previous one”

Obviously the “tool” makes a difference, otherwise the tool wouldn’t have been used.