I would say it probably is common. When I was forced to gate check the GA asked me nothing, reminded me of nothing, and then seemed put out when I insisted on taking the time to think about what I needed to retrieve from the bag. And this was not last minute. I was particularly concerned at her surprise that I needed to retrieve my batteries. I understand that she doesn't care if my camera equipment gets checked and therefor stolen, but the battery situation is a different ballgame. If passports make it into the hold, I can only imagine how many Li batteries are in there.