metal detector news stories on Newser

White House Metal Detector Set Off by ... Obama

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:03:00 CST

A metal detector leading into the White House was activated today by the president himself. President Obama was returning home from a holiday gathering across Pennsylvania Avenue when he decided to chat with the security guards at the Northwest Gate, reports USA Today . They showed him how a typical White...

Treasure Hunter Unearths $460K Roman Helmet

Sarah Quinn — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:05:00 CDT

An amateur treasure hunter in Britain has unearthed a Roman helmet expected to fetch at least $460,000 at auction. The bronze helmet—only the third of its kind ever found in Britain—has a face mask and is topped with a griffin. Experts say the helmet, found in a...

Lawyers Forced to Ditch Bras in Jail Screenings

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:45:57 CDT

Female attorneys became suspicious when their bras—particularly those worn by young, attractive women—suddenly set off metal alarms at a Belgian prison and had to be removed. Now they're angry. "Metal detection checks seem very difficult to carry out when a pretty, young lawyer or visitor reports to the...

Texas Lobbyists Get Gun Permits to Avoid Lines

John Johnson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:10:50 CDT

Probably one or two Texas jokes applies to this one: Most of the state's lobbyists are signing up for permits to carry concealed weapons, reports the Houston Chronicle . They're not angry or afraid—they're just tired of waiting in long lines at newly installed metal detectors for visitors to the...

Ignore 'Privacy Ideologues,' We Need Body Scans

John Johnson — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:42:40 CST

For one former director of homeland security, it's a no-brainer: President Obama must ignore "privacy ideologues" and put full-body scanners at the nation's airports. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before al-Qaeda strikes successfully with plastics explosives, writes Michael Chertoff. The notion that these imagers amount to "virtual strip...

Massive Ancient Gold Trove Likely Battle Booty

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:43:41 CDT

Experts dazzled by a record trove of ancient gold and silver unearthed in an English field believe the hoard of coins, hilts and parts of shields was war booty stripped from fallen soldiers and buried on the run. It was finally unearthed by a man with a metal detector 14...