History Main / MetalDetectorCheckpoint

* A DeletedScene in ''Film/Daredevil2003'' has Bullseye going through a metal detector and removing pens, toothpicks and paperclips. Of course the audience knows that [[ImprobableWeaponsUser all these things are lethal weapons in his hands]]. Plus his metal belt buckle is later revealed to carry his shurikans.

->''I wasn't carrying a piece--in the Supreme Court, they use metal detectors at the entrance because some politically wired judge complained about the dangerous radicals who might invade his courtroom and shoot it out with the guards. This happens in the Supreme Court about every other century, but you can't be too careful. On the other hand, right across the street in the Family Court, the average litigant carries some kind of weapon and violence is an everyday thing, but there's no metal detectors. That's New York.''

* The [[TheSeventies 70's]] {{dystopia}}n film ''Film/ClassOf86'' has these outside of a school as [[FunnyAneurysmMoment visual short hand of how bad society has fallen]].

* Killer Mike (of Music/RunTheJewels) has a song called "JoJo's Chillin'" wherein the KarmaHoudini title character realizes right before passing through the airport detector that he has weed on him. Luckily, the TSA agent is an old friend, so she directs police attention to the old lady who had it out for JoJo.

* The [[TheSeventies 70's]] {{dystopia}}n film ''Class Of 86'' has these outside of a school as [[FunnyAneurysmMoment visual short hand of how bad society has fallen]].

* Brazilian show ''Zorra Total'' had a recurring skit where in sight of a pretty lady, an airport security officer would shout imitating the metal detector to force her to strip down. Once, a CampGay character from another skit would do the sound himself to see if they'd frisk him.

* ''Film/DieHard2''. The villains are carrying "Glock 7" pistols, supposedly an expensive German firearm made of porcelain that can't be picked up on the airport's metal detectors. This is an UrbanLegend of the time -- the Glock is a relatively inexpensive ''Austrian'' firearm with a polymer frame but enough metal components to set off a detector.

* ''Film/TheMatrix''. Neo walks into the building where Morpheus is being held prisoner, setting off the metal detector. A security guard comes over to him with a tray and a handheld scanner.

* Neo and Trinity go through one in the first ''Film/TheMatrix'' movie. Security guard asks Neo to open his coat... and MoreDakka is unleashed.

[[folder: FanWorks]]

* Parodied (of course) in ''Film/Airplane'', when a guy sets it off. He deposits change, as well as a couple of fake metal limbs.

* Parodied (of course) in ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'', when a bunch of terrorist-y thugs stroll through the airport metal detector carrying huge weapons without setting off the detector, but then an elderly woman sets it off and gets thrown up against the wall and searched.

* US military service members traveling in uniform used to have so much trouble with this that it because standard for security personnel to simply check their ID and then wave them through even if the metal detector went off. This is because dress uniforms (and there was a time when military personnel traveling on official orders were ''required'' to wear their service dress uniform) are ''filled'' with metal. Between rank insignia, belt buckles, ribbon racks, qualification and unit badges, name tags, branch of service emblems, tie pins, and various other accessories, a service member would almost have to strip naked in order to get through a metal detector without setting it off. After 9/11 and with the realization that traveling in uniform made it easy for terrorists to spot them, the Department of Defense relaxed these rules considerably and now service personnel travel in civilian clothes and change into their uniforms after arriving.

* You have to avoid these in the airport from ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Pandora Tomorrow'''s final level, because Sam Fisher carries lots of metal gadgets and weapons. Naturally, they set off an alarm if you pass through them.
** One or two make appearances in ''Conviction'' and ''Blacklist'', but they are always avoidable, usually by jumping over a counter right next to them making them largely pointless and more just traps for the unobservant.

See also CheckpointCharlie.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit: WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath'' Gromit installs one of these (based on a design in "Electronic Surveillance for Dogs") to catch out Piella's murderous intentions toward Wallace. [[spoiler:The machine works but fails to convince Wallace.]]

In high security areas, such as airports, people will have to go through a metal detector before continuing on. A few certain things can happen:
* The person going through the detector or security personnel end up doing something silly as a result of inattentiveness. For instance, a person sets off a detector, repeatedly tries to get rid of all their metal possessions, is repeatedly searched, and a comically long time passes until they remember some totally innocent and inconspicuous metal object somewhere on their person or a metal implant in their body.
** ExtendedDisarming can occur if dangerous items are involved.
* Rather than being a silly mistake, it's an illustration of there being something weird about the character, as they turn out not to be carrying any metal objects despite setting off the detector, and security personnel and possibly the person themselves become increasingly confused as metal is detected where there is absolutely no good reason for there to be any, hinting that something weird is going on.
* Two people walk through a metal detector in quick succession, and the obviously wrong one gets hassled by security. Say, a cartoonish shady character in sunglasses with lots of suspicious weapon-shaped lumps visible under their long-coat and a ticking suit-case walks through, followed closely by a kind-looking little old lady with grey hair. The security personnel ignore the former, and throw the latter to the ground in a panic, possibly while screaming for backup. HilarityEnsues.
* If an X-Ray machine is used, it may show a FunnyXRay on a character and/or his luggage.

See also OverreactingAirportSecurity and CheckpointCharlie. Compare DecontaminationChamber.

** ExtendedDisarming has occur if dangerous items are involved.