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by Knowing how to pick a lock is just a handy "life skill." Rather than providing a primer into a life of burglary, knowledge of how easy the technique really is can be valuable in assessing personal and home security (or intellectually scoffing at the unrealistic picking techniques presented in movies).
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I am actually quite amused that some people get all in a tiff about lock picks, "Oh my god - you have lockpicks! You must be planning something evil."
How much easier is it to simply use a rock and break the decorative windows that tend to be right next to a door, reach in and unlock it from the inside? Or break the sliding glass door in the back? If you're really doing criminal things, speed and simplicity will trump elegance 100% of the time.
Lock picks are far more useful by professional locksmiths actually helping you or by feds performing a black bag operation. Otherwise, they're really quite useless. Besides, it's been shown that the bump technique is far more effective and easily learned in minutes by anyone.
After 36 years in the fire service in a major city, I can tell you that all locks, steel roll up doors and etc. are for honest people only, and none of them even with security systems are secure. Me and my crew can get in to 90% of them in less than a minute, and so can the professional criminals.
Heck, a good mule kick with a number 12 boot will open most. Home made kits, like slim jims work good to! Locks are for honest people, but they sure are fun to pick.
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Warning.. by ldsudduth :: NR7 :: on 01 May 2008
In some states, Lock Picking tools may only be possessed by law enforcement or a licensed locksmith. Everyone should check local laws, because in some places (Washington D.C. comes to mind) mere possession is a felony.
RE: Warning... by VnutZ :: NR8 :: on 01 May 2008
This is definitely true. I bought my picks almost a decade ago in 1999. I remember back then it was actually somewhat difficult to purchase them (even on the Internet) because every site made you confirm you were either law enforcement or a locksmith. Granted, I could have just checked the boxes and purchased them anyway but I didn't feel like taking that route. Eventually I found a site without the questions.
Nowadays, after a cursory check, it doesn't seem like any of the sites seem to care who you are before selling them. And they certainly sell a whole lot more equipment to include automatic pick-guns.
So there really aren't any "checks" to keep you from inadvertently violating a local law.
RE: Warning... by ldsudduth :: NR7 :: on 01 May 2008
No checks? yikes..not good..I did a cursory 5 minute Google search to see if I could come up with more that just Washington DC--I've seen warnings about the legality before when I looked into learning how to pick locks, and I remembered that. I had a neighbor (who happened to be law enforcement) who was my landlord who not only could pick locks, but he could change tumblers--he would do that to his rental properties everytime someone moved out.
RE: Warning... by VnutZ :: NR8 :: on 01 May 2008
... seen warnings about the legality before when I looked into learning how to pick locks ...
I remember sometime around '96 my Dad walked out and announced we were connected to the Internet, showed me what Netscape was and how to put an address in the top. I remember just staring at it since a search page was not a default thing at the time and I had no idea what to do or look for on the Internet - just that it was a thing.
Suddenly, it popped into my head, "all the information in the world, eh? How do you pick a lock?" And that was the first thing I ever learned to do from the Internet.
But like you said, everything was blanketed in warnings about not knowing your local law and not being held liable for what you do, blah blah blah. It was enough that I never bothered actually trying it until nearly five years had passed. I even had the picks and never used them. It was really somewhat anti-climactic after I succeeded, too. There was a moment of "cool - I can do that" and then ... "now what?" Other than being used a couple of times when keys were lost, they pretty much stayed forgotten in a drawer until earlier this week when I pulled them out to make the video for the article.
RE: Warning... by ldsudduth :: NR7 :: on 01 May 2008
It's a good article..and it is handy to know..had I known this when I was about 12, I wouldn't have had to use other means to get in the house the time I locked myself out that involved paying for a new window.... No cell phons in 1975, and my mom hadn't yet thought about leaving a spare key with her parents, who lived down the street.
Of course, I could have just stayed there until she got home, but they wouldn't have let me watch cartoons..