security checks to enter museums
 

I was in DC yesterday and noted:
(1)Holocaust museum: nearly as "severe" as airports...long lines if you arrive at the wrong time
(2)Freer Gallery
(3)Hirshhorn
(4)Fine Arts
For these last 3 they poke around in your bag if you have one--they are just making it look "good".:rolleyes:

The Holocaust Museum and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving are probably the most security-conscious of the museum. The Smithsonians are a lot more lackadaisical, with the exception of the National Gallery of Art, who are very strict about having water in the galleries. The National Geographic Museum is similarly strict about what you can and can't bring in.

Unfortunate fact of life. No different at similar places around the world.

National Gallery isn't part of Smithsonian, so it has a separate security force.

Smithsonian security screening is for show.

A security guard was shot and killed by a white supremacist at the Holocaust museum five years ago.

The galleries are probably more relaxed, ditto American History/Natural History/NMAI. Air and Space I believe has metal detectors.

I would have guessed, since they had long lines.
In my post #1, none of the "art" museums had metal detectors, so potentially one could bring a weapon in, as long as it wasn't in your bag.:rolleyes:

The National Gallery of Art does a "bag check". The Air & Space Museum downtown, American History, and Natural History museums all use metal detectors. The Air & Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy) at Dulles Airport just does a bag check.

Art museums do bag checks to protect the collections. Backpacks are sometimes carelessly slung around, which can strike sculptures or paintings, and things like drinks, knives, etc. have to be kept away from the art.

Portrait Gallery/American Art has one of the better policies; they encourage locker use, but otherwise it's fine as long as it goes on your front rather than back.

I've never been to a museum in Europe where there are metal detectors. The Science Museum just waved me through last time.

I believe that in museums there should always be a reliable security system! I recently visited a very cool anthropology museum, you can read an article about it by clicking here, I think if you like museums, then this museum will definitely interest you.

Ditto for music festivalls and major public buildings. Not sure why you are surprised:
- open carry?
- terrorist attacks on mosques, synagogues, etc.
- track record of secuirity failures since 9/11.

As someone noted, there's a good reason the Holocaust Museum has a bag check, and with white supremacist attacks on the rise, I don't see that changing.

Newseum has a metal detector, but I've never seen much of a line for it.