Setting off alarms

[Bob Thompson]

It seems like everytime I carry my weapon concealed into a Walmart or Home Depot I set off an alarm when exiting. Door guard or clerk usually asks to see into my bag and checks items against receipt with no further questions. Has anyone else had this happen at these stores or anywhere else? Just curious, Bob

 

[CopeLC]

I've never had that happen with guns. I work for an electrical company. We wire up new grocery and dept stores, remodel, and maintain them. Sometimes, when I walk through the door wearing my tool belt, I set off the alarms. I wear more metal around my waist while working than with my CCW. Just how big of a gun are you carrying? LOL.

 

[Bob Thompson]

CopeLC, usually carrying a Glock 22 or 30 with extra mags. If door guard or clerk asks to see in your purchase bag can I assume a small unpaid for item would set off alarm? Thanks for your input. Bob

 

[Mike Irwin]

I've never had that happen.

It must be the stuff that you're stealing.

 

[buy guns]

"CopeLC, usually carrying a Glock 22 or 30 with extra mags."


i thought those plastic guns can get through alarms and metal detectors?

 

[CopeLC]

And airport x-ray terminals...joking.

Bob, is it one particular Wal Mart & Home Depot store in general or a multitude? If it's one store, it may just be that they have their checkpoints too sensitive.

I remember a long time ago how I'd trip just about any store's off. Funny, is I wasn't carrying, I was too young. My parents thought I WAS stealing stuff and getting away with it. Oddly, it was one of those rectangular stickers that had stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I had one of those Nike's with the hollow heel so I couldn't feel the sticker while walking.

 

[Quartus]

Those gizmos work by RF (radiofrequency) sensors, so it's not surprising that setting them incorectly might result in metal objects setting them off.


Don't understand why those ceramic Glocks would do it, though. Must be you're using metallic cartridges instead of ceramic ones.

 

[ACP230]

I set one off once at a K-Mart with my concealed Smith M649. It made a short, less than emphatic beep as I went by. The store is closed now. At others I walk in the middle of sets of detectors rather than near one or the other. It hasn't happened again.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I've never set one off, even carrying a large frame 1911, Beretta 92F, GP-100 or S&W 5906, along with three knives, five pounds of keys and steel toed boots.

 

[LAK]

Must be the little chips going into the plastic frame guns

 

[mvpel]

Do you have an ID card from a security system at work that allows you to just wave your card in front of a sensor in order to open the door? I had one issued by Ford, and another one a couple of years later from Comshare, that would routinely set off the local drug store's sensor.

 

[Tamara]

I kept setting the one off at my local Borders, both entering and leaving. It grew monotonous after a few weeks, except for the clerks, who found it hilarious.

Then I was cleaning out my purse one day...

Oh, yeah... Now I remembered; I'd picked up some Osprey book or another and had been reading it in some public place without a trash can handy. The little security gizmo had been affixed inside and, not wanting to be a litterbug, I'd tossed it in my purse and forgotten about it. If some Borders clerk had gotten anal and wanted to inspect my purse, it would have been amusing, as it had (of course) immediately migrated to the bottom and affixed itself to my speedloader.

 

[Pappy John]

Yeah, I don't think metal alone could be the problem. I regularly go through these doors with a 696 on my right hip, an aluminum forearm crutch with steel fittings, and a titanium femur. No alarms yet.

 

[FirstFreedom]

Tam and Copelc, funny stories. No the metal in your gun shouldn't set anything off. But that still does NOT necessarily mean that they don't also have a gun/metal detector that makes no noise but alerts security to presence and possibly outline of your weapon. Doubt it, but maybe.

 

[Quartus]

But that still does NOT necessarily mean that they don't also have a gun/metal detector that makes no noise but alerts security to presence and possibly outline of your weapon.

Outline? That's WAAAAY more high tech than anything you'll find in your local Wally World or Home Depot.


And security? Wally's that actually have 'security' are few and far between.

 

[Tamara]

The security systems in retail establishments (usually manufactured by the Checkpoint corporation) operate via RF frequencies, not metal detection.

(...or picking up mythical microchips placed in Glock frames by the Bilderbergers, LAK. )

 

[Zigokubasi]

And security? Wally's that actually have 'security' are few and far between.

I *was* security for local Wal-Marts for a time. I worked for a contractor here that landed the contract for all the Wal-Marts in the city. That was a few years ago and at that time those gates only detected the security strips - they weren't functional metal detectors at all. The same for Best Buy - I was sales and tech there for a while too. Used to hang out with the LP guys and play "carrying or not carrying?" on the cameras, but other than that there was no way to tell if a customer was carrying (and frankly, other than the silly game, we didn't care too much - unless they were up to no good, then it was a good indicator to call the cops.) We had quite a few older gents who would print every now and then and score some points for Sam (who could always spot em, I swear...). Now, all that said, we also used to harass unruly customers with those tags (stick 'em to your back, drop them on the floor sticky-side up, etc...), so check your shoes and clothes if the alarm goes off and you haven't stolen aything

It's also highly likely that one or more of the registers may have a broken deactivation plate and/or the checker isn't doing it properly. I really doubt that it's your gun that's setting it off, though.

 

[Tamara]

Used to hang out with the LP guys and play "carrying or not carrying?" on the cameras

"That tall blonde chick? The one with the Molon Labe hat and the black 5.11 vest? She's carryin'."

 

[TheBluesMan]

With Tamara it's not a question of, "Is she carryin?" But rather, "How many is she carryin?

 

[Quartus]

The security systems in retail establishments (usually manufactured by the Checkpoint corporation) operate via RF frequencies, not metal detection.

I wish I'd said that.

I *was* security for local Wal-Marts for a time.

My bad - he said "security" and I thought "uniformed guard". Don't see very many of those. I forgot about the LP guys.

Somebody's gotta watch the cameras!