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Lately, I have been setting off the security alarm when entering or exiting various retail stores in San antonio. Specifically, academy sports, Home Depot, lowes, Dillard's, wal-mart and Macy's. I'm confident it's my carry weapon that causes the alarm to activate since it does not happen when I leave my weapon in the car. Is this happening to others?

Are you sure it's not the CIA/FBI/NSA tracking device?

They're not metal detectors. Unless you have a loss control tag hidden in your gun (or holster) there's no way that's what is setting them off.

tacticool wrote:They're not metal detectors. Unless you have a loss control tag hidden in your gun (or holster) there's no way that's what is setting them off.

I have rarely had one go off on me when entering a store and when I asked about it they just told me it was set a little sensitive and it was quite annoying to the point that they almost completely ignored it when it does go off.

check your holster for tags.

I experimented This evening. Carried in my pocket, an unloaded S&W Bodyguard without a holster or magazine, into academy sports. I set off the alarm when entering the store but not when I exited. I drove to wal-mart next. With just the slide, barrel and recoil rod and spring in my pocket. Same result as academy. Alarm on entry but no alarm on exit. I returned to my car and placed the slide, barrel and spring in my trunk. Returned to the store using the same door as before and did not set off the alarm. Just my observation. Wondering if others experience this while carring. I just remembered that I set off the alarm at cabelas in Buda last week as well.

Is that the one with the built in laser ? Would the same thing happen with a gun that did not have any electronics ?

Been carrying for years. I frequent Academy, Cabela's, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, Sam's, and MANY, MANY others. Never set off any alarms!

Look over all of your gear - wallet, holster, mag case, belt ... and see if there is one of those anti-shoplifting tags hidden somewhere. You may have missed one on something you bought. Or ... some folks steal them from some product in a store and plant them on someone else for fun - or distraction.

I had a problem like that for a while. Set off alarms coming and/or going. Eventually I found one of the things deep in my cell phone case. Problem solved.

I've had that happen to me before, but it always ended up being a tag I forgot to remove/have the store remove.

Off-topic, but when I read the thread title, I thought it was going to be what to do if the alarm went off and the store loss prevention personnel wanted to search you while you were carrying.

Coxjajb wrote:I experimented This evening. Carried in my pocket, an unloaded S&W Bodyguard without a holster or magazine, into academy sports. I set off the alarm when entering the store but not when I exited. I drove to wal-mart next. With just the slide, barrel and recoil rod and spring in my pocket. Same result as academy. Alarm on entry but no alarm on exit. I returned to my car and placed the slide, barrel and spring in my trunk. Returned to the store using the same door as before and did not set off the alarm. Just my observation. Wondering if others experience this while carring. I just remembered that I set off the alarm at cabelas in Buda last week as well.

That's the craziest thing. How funny would that have been if you had to show ID to an LEO. Imagine trying to explain your situation.
Seriously, I hope you get it figured out.

Coxjajb wrote:Lately, I have been setting off the security alarm when entering or exiting various retail stores in San antonio. Specifically, academy sports, Home Depot, lowes, Dillard's, wal-mart and Macy's. I'm confident it's my carry weapon that causes the alarm to activate since it does not happen when I leave my weapon in the car. Is this happening to others?

I regularly visit most of those you list, and have never had mine set an alarm off.

I've never set one off at all. Back in 2001, though, I was working at Office Max, and the assistant principal from the small Christian high school where I'd graduated set it off on his way out once. My mom and I (she worked at said school) gave him grief over that for years

There was a guy that came into a motorcycle shop I used to hang around.He wore one or those key card,ID badges on a lanyard around his neck and it would set off the stores alarm.

You must have something else going on. Once after shooting at Reds, so as not to leave any guns in my car, I went into the Cabela's in Buda with 5 full size handguns on my person and didn't set off any alarms. I've never set off an alarm anywhere no matter what gun I was carrying. The detectors at these stores are not metal detectors --they send an RF signal to RFID tags, and go off when a signal is reflected in response.