East Lansing residents might no longer have to worry about guns and knives at their city buildings; parks and recreational facilities, but the city council ban on weapons Tuesday will not necessarily create a perpetually "safe place."

While the ban will protect some areas from concealed weapons, it is important to note that guns and knives are not always the tools of violence.

In many cases where people have been hurt at recreational and sporting events, few of the injuries have been linked to gunshot wounds or stabbings. Instead, people use physical force and beat each other.

If someone gets angry at a baseball game, they might pick up a baseball bat and use that as a weapon. Will there then be a ban on baseball bats too? That would be unacceptable.

There are many community events that are dangerous to attend because of the raging tempers, not because of weapons.

Many of the places the ban protects, such as the library and aquatic center, usually don't have many problems with people bringing guns and knives. The ban has good intentions, but will be difficult to enforce.

Now that there is a ban on firearms, will there be metal detectors at every city building, park and recreational center in East Lansing?

Probably not.

It would seem out of place in this relatively peaceful community for police to stop every person that walks through a recreational facility or park and search them for weapons.

The fact is, if the average resident of East Lansing wants to create a guaranteed safe place, they are going to have to do a lot more than simply ban weapons at public places.

Safety is the product of environment, and an environment is the product of its people.