CCW and those security things at store entrances

I've never had a problem with them. I'm usually carrying a SIG.

Regards,
Rabbit.

Nope; what you're walking through isn't a metal detector, but a field looking for a specific response from the tags on the merch itself. Don't sweat it.
Besides, even if for some odd reason the machine pings on you, what are they going to do? Pat you down? Not likely.

I'd say your concern is misplaced.

Even if they change out those things for metal detectors, what if they do go off? Show your car keys and walk out - they ain't gonna throw you down and strip search ya.

Wonder if my subcutaneous cranial tinfoil buffer would set 'em off?

The way those things work is similar to radar. The hoops emit microwaves. The security tags have a piece of foil inside cut to a specific shape and thickness. When one of them passes through the hoops, the microwaves cause the tag's foil to vibrate and emit radio waves within a certain frequency, which is picked up by an antenna somewhere near the door.

There's probably nothing in a firearm that could cause a false alarm, but I have had these things falsely trip on me more than once. (The first time was when I was carrying an aluminum tennis racket.)

My SIG has never set one off.

I've been carrying plenty of times when walking through them when they do go off though. Seems like DVDs are especially good at setting them off.

Like others have said, all they do is check whats in your bag against whats on the recipt if it does go off. If you had something stolen in your pants, you could probably just walk off with it.... around here at least. If they ever tried to insist on a pat down, I'd be none too pleased, and would insist that a cop be present first. But, I've never seen cause to worry about it... just my .02.

I've never set one off, but I carry a Glock.

BTW my BHP hasn't set them off either.

There was guy a while back going crazy because he was setting those off, but it turned out he had one of those tags in his holster.

If they did switch to metal detectors it would have a huge impact here - we cannot enter anywhere armed (well with a CCW anyway) if they have metal detectors at every entrance.

Metal detectors don't scare me, I carry a Glock. And, as Hollywood has taught us, Glocks are made of plastic and can evade airport metal detectors. BUM BUM BUM!

I have never set one off while carrying my Glock 19. I would not worry about seeing metal detectors at big stores either. It would cause too much of a hassle for the employees. I carry lots of innocent metal objects on me. On any given day I usually have a pocketful of change, a big hoop of keys, steel-toed boots, and a pocket knife on my person.

Like everyone else said the detectors are looking for the tags on merchandise. Also, I spent several years working retail for various big box companies and I can tell you that they will never pat you down for setting off an alarm. An employee will ask to see your receipt and look in your bag to make sure everything got paid for. Then they will let you go. If they want you to stay and talk to someone else just say you don't have time and walk out. All big box stores have a very similar policy that says employees are not allowed to stop anyone from leaving the store. So even when people are stealing things they are not allowed to stop them for fear of getting sued. I remember several occasions when people blatantly stole things buy just running out carrying merchandise. On one occasion my manager and I both stood at the door asking the person to stop and show us their receipt. They had a driver waiting outside to pick them up and we just had to stand and watch as they jumped in and speed away. What really made me upset was that my manager refused to call the police (merchandise was less the $300) even though I got a good look at both people and the license plate of the car used. If you’re honest you have no need to worry.

Just make sure all of your small, expensive and/or in high demand items (like CD's, and small electronics) get passed over the magnet that de-activates the RFID tags at the checkout.

I used to have a watch that set them off. Took a while to figure out. That was long before my CC days.

Never had my pistol set one off.

One pain is going to the courthouse for anything. I work in sheetmetal, and I spend a lot of time grinding, so the thighs on my jeans catch a lot of dust. Dust that doesnt wash out, and when it does, it washes right into the rest of my clothes. I set the metal detectors off every time. And every time I hear that thing start beeping, I start sweating...

If you can get one of those tinfoil thingies, and it doesn't get deactivated you can have fun with them by placing them hidden in someone's clothing; zippered hood, deep pocket, lining of coat, etc. Then the person will set them off when they go in and out of libraries, stores, rental places, etc.

Not that I've ever done that, I've just heard that it works. A past co-worker who was jerk told me that he had one in his hood that drove him nuts for months. I have no idea how that got there.......

I've retrained myself and no longer even stop when they go off.

marklbucla said:

Whenever I've CCWd, I always got an uneasy feeling while walking through those security "detector" things at the entrances of stores. Is there any need to worry about setting one of those off or are all of them set to detect only the magnetic devices? Is there any way that a gun could set one of them off?

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No. Those are made to detect theft tags being removed from the store.
They are not metal detectors.

I started to set them off last year. I had no idea how I was setting them off. One guy told me to take off my shoes and I told him he was nuts and that I was not going to take off my shoes, it was smuumer time and I had nothing with me so I left. Well after setting of the darn alarms off at several places and being told to remove my shoes I finaily did and the lady passed my shoes over the scanner and BEEP...BUZZZZ. she handed them back to me and I have never set off another alarm. I have come to find out that the dress shoes in question had a security tag inside the sole of the shoe and it had some how been re-activated :banghead: I had to go back to the guy I called nuts and tell him that I was sorry

I set them off at Wally-World/K-Mart/Marcs, and couldn't figure out why. I wasn't "packing" then. ? ? ? ? ?

Thought maybe it was my car lock remote..no go

Finally found one of those blasted foil loops inside my wallet, tucked in one of the rarely-used card holder slots.

Doesn't matter. You will inevitably have a false alarm anyway. I have had several. Tags not deactivated.
However the guys are right, the microwaves set off a return signal from a metal strip in the tag, made from special metal, and of a specific size to produce the signal. I used to work for a company that made them. Guns won't do it. Think of all the metal objects that go out of stores, and you can see that it would be an unworkable situation if all metal set the tag off.
Carry on, don't worry about your gun, unless it is prohibited in the area you are in for legitimate reasons.

I worked asset protection at a few retailers.

The scanners look for a certain magnetic signature, that are on the gator and soft tags.

You don't have to worry about your pistols setting them off. But you do have to worry about your shoes. Most manufactures put a security tag in the shoes.

RFID tags contain small microchips, that are attached to microwave antennas (the foil loops or strips). The microchips are transceivers with a small CPU. The RFID tag picks up energy (they do not have internal batteies), from the RF field emitted by the detection device, and transmits a coded data stream to the detection device. The Tag is deactivated by receiving a command to quit transmitting the coded data stream. It might be possible to destroy the RFID tag by placing it in a microwave oven (I have not tried this).

Dont worry about it a gun will not set them off
unless you are stealing something , Then it could be a problem

kfranz said:

I've retrained myself and no longer even stop when they go off.

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Me too. I don't steal, they can chase me if they want to. They never do.

Just a few days ago I found a tag in a suit jacket I had been wearing a lot that was setting them off.

-James

Bane said:

All big box stores have a very similar policy that says employees are not allowed to stop anyone from leaving the store. So even when people are stealing things they are not allowed to stop them for fear of getting sued. I remember several occasions when people blatantly stole things buy just running out carrying merchandise. .

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A guy tried running off with something from the Walmart here... He got chased all the way across the Walmart parking lot, I guess through the Burger King lot, where they lost him down over the hill.