# Ever wonder what could happen if you bring a gun into an MRI machine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264 "2023-12-07T20:15:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/1 "2023-12-07T20:15:09Z")
Neither have I. But the answer is that it can be triggered to fire. > **[Woman Shot By Own Gun After Sneaking It Into MRI](https://themessenger.com/health/mri-gun-shot-self-inflicted-injury-prevention)** > > A woman was shot in the butt by a gun she brought into the MRI examination room, in another in a string of injuries related to the machine It can also fire if you just bring it _near_ an MRI machine. > **[Fatal accident calls MRI safety standards into question—are more regulations...](https://healthimaging.com/topics/medical-imaging/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri/mri-safety-standards)** > > There are a number of well-intended recommendations for preventing MRI injuries, but many of them stop short of implementing safety requirements. So on balance it is probably best that you accept the small risk of being attacked by a zombie hoard while unarmed in your time receiving a medical scan. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/2 "2023-12-07T20:21:52Z")
From the second article: > _It also merits noting that the facility where the accident occurred followed safety precautions and screened both the man and his mother for the presence of metal, receiving signatures from both assuring that they understood the dangers of having metal within the magnet’s reach._ This isn’t just an issue with firearms; patients and people in attendance are warned that all items with ferromagnetic materials will be drawn toward the powerful magnetic field generated by the machine, and people have been injured by all manner of innocuous objects. I would opine that (presumably concealed) firearms are not something that should be necessary in any clinical context, but some people just don’t listen to safety briefs or understand consequences. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/3 "2023-12-07T20:32:24Z")
How the heck does someone manage to get a gun into the MRI room? Every MRI I’ve ever had has involved me changing into a hospital gown before the procedure. How do you keep a gun hidden under a gown? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/4 "2023-12-07T20:40:18Z")
I had to fill out a form before an MRI. List any surgical procedures that may leave metal in my body. I asked about the fillings in my teeth. Hard to believe any one got in there with a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/5 "2023-12-07T20:40:31Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > This isn’t just an issue with firearms; patients and people in attendance are warned that all items with ferromagnetic materials will be drawn toward the powerful magnetic field generated by the machine I’ve never had an MRI, but when I was in college my science club was allowed a tour of an MRI facility. At the time I wore a two or three inch megalodon tooth on a necklace, wrapped by myself with I guess it was clothes hanger wire. The tooth stood up horizontally in reaction to the magnetic field. (But I didn’t get close enough for it to go sailing away.) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/6 "2023-12-07T20:44:14Z")
I might have. But given American society (and healthcare system) I had absolutely no doubt that people taking guns in MRIs was a frequent occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/7 "2023-12-07T20:47:33Z")
I’ve written before about seeing a poster with photos of MRI mishaps while in a staff-only area in a hospital. Lots of small items, car keys and whatnot but also fire extinguishers & oxygen cyls aplenty and several office chairs awkwardly stuck to the side of the machine. > [@markn\_1](#): > > How the heck does someone manage to get a gun into the MRI room? Accompanying a prisoner in custody is one way. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/8 "2023-12-07T20:48:37Z")
Actually, I already knew from reading the news over the years that MRI machines can defeat various firearm safety mechanisms: [https://www.ajronline.org/doi/full/10.2214/ajr.178.5.1781092](https://www.ajronline.org/doi/full/10.2214/ajr.178.5.1781092) > **[Gun discharges in MRI at Indianapolis Veterans Affairs hospital](https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/12/31/gun-discharges-mri-va-hospital/78136982/)** > > A veteran was wounded Wednesday at Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center when a handgun he brought into the Indianapolis hospital accidentally discharged in his pocket while he was in a procedure room — possibly an MRI... Pro tip: also avoid ferromagnetic gas cylinders > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > How the heck does someone manage to get a gun into the MRI room? > > Accompanying a prisoner in custody is one way. What hospitals do not have strict rules _against_ bringing firearms onto hospital grounds? And, if a cop did manage to barge in, how did he or she get past the MRI technician? (I suppose threatening them with a gun might work…) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/9 "2023-12-07T20:52:30Z")
The guy in Brazil was not the patient but the patient’s son who was helping her around (which is an argument for letting only the staff assist the patient but in much of the world is a normal thing to let family help) and he was a known activist who may have felt entitled to blow off the warning form he signed. More generally though there has been an effort to make imaging suites less intimidating, more welcoming. In some cases I have not worn gowns but scrubs, or just been told to drop my pants or take off my shirt. But this as we see has the collateral issue of people just treating it all **too** casually… and people too used to always carrying everywhere can grow to just think of that _of course_ I have my gun on me even in here, why could I possibly leave it behind? We hear about guns or fatal injuries because of the shock factor but one can imagine a bunch of people having to duck as stuff in someone’s pocket gets yeeted by the nagnetic fields but it doesn’t make news as it just puts a dent on the housing. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/10 "2023-12-07T22:24:03Z")
Hey, maybe we could send Rep. Lauren Boebert for an MRI. She won’t got anywhere without her gun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/11 "2023-12-07T22:33:47Z")
Heck, even without ammunition, a gun-sized chunk of steel can kill or seriously injure someone, just by being pulled with great force towards the machine. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/12 "2023-12-07T22:35:46Z")
I was thinking, also how you got past a complete removal of clothing. I was asked even to remove all undies. Apparently underwire bras are a great big deal. All jewelry and medical appliances gone. I have metal in my jaw. It’s never caused problems. I guess it’s non-metallic,or whatever the word is. Much more problematic, is bringing ones gun into a hospital is just not done. Anymore than a school. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/13 "2023-12-07T22:46:13Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > What hospitals do not have strict rules _against_ bringing firearms onto hospital grounds? I’ve heard concealed gun carriers say they don’t give a crap about gun free signs. I’m sure plenty of concealed weapons go into hospitals every day. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/14 "2023-12-07T23:07:44Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I’ve heard concealed gun carriers say they don’t give a crap about gun free signs. And then go on about how “law-abiding” they are. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/15 "2023-12-07T23:16:08Z")
In general, someone coming out of anesthesia is not someone I’d want to be able to have quick access to a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/16 "2023-12-07T23:20:25Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > What hospitals do not have strict rules _against_ bringing firearms onto hospital grounds? That makes no sense. They should encourage people to shoot each other in hospitals, it’s the safest place to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/17 "2023-12-08T00:20:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I was thinking, also how you got past a complete removal of clothing. I kept my underwear on, not having underwire undies. The woman in the first story signed off on not bringing anything dangerous into the room, clearly not thinking guns are dangerous. She shot herself in the buttocks, barely missing her brain. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/18 "2023-12-08T00:27:08Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > She shot herself in the buttocks, barely missing her brain. No fecal, no foul. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/19 "2023-12-08T00:54:52Z")
> [@](#): > > in another in a string of injuries related to the machine “Guns don’t injure people, MRIs injure people!” ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264/20 "2023-12-08T01:05:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And then go on about how “law-abiding” they are. Their logic is: **2nd amendment!!!** Yeah, the cognitive dissonance is strong in the gun nut culture. It’s a reason I no longer associate with it even though I enjoyed my time competitive shooting and long ago, the nuts were on the fringe but by the time I distanced myself, they had taken over and become the norm. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-what-could-happen-if-you-bring-a-gun-into-an-mri-machine/994264.md?page=2)