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SEARCHThe shopping center has had bomb-sniffing dogs for almost 20 years, but now they're teaching them to find guns as well.
The Mall of America is training its eight K-9s to sniff out guns.
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In response to multiple notable shootings over the last two years, Mall of America (MOA) has added a gun-sniffing dog to patrol the shopping mecca, according to a report on Fox 9.
MOA has utilized K9s for nearly two decades to detect explosives, but Fox 9 reports they are now training the center's eight dogs to detect firearms, which is a relatively new concept for canines.
Kenny McDonough, the mall’s K-9 Lieutenant, told Fox 9 that the dogs undergo an extensive eight-week training in-house where they learn to smell every component of a firearm to detect who may have a gun on them.
The dogs do not bark or do bite work, McDonough added.
The mall’s head of security, Will Bernhjelm, said in the article that the mall began exploring different options as gun threats evolved.
Mall officials told the news outlet that most of their finds thus far have been people with conceal-and-carry permits, who were unaware that the mall did not allow firearms.