Some questions.

[sturmgrenadier]

Hi. I'm eager to try out the hobby; it sounds really challenging, like a true labor of love. I ordered a beginner's set from Lockpickshop, a vendor recommended under one of your threads for Newbies. I'm a bit chagrined, though, because after ordering, I took the time to read the disclaimers at the bottom(I know shame on me for not doing so first) and learned that it is against federal law to ship locksmithing tools across state lines (is receiving them also prohibited by implication). Also, it told me that state and local laws vary on whether you can even own these tools. It never occurred to me that simply possessing these tools might be illegal (I live in S.D.), rather I thought that only missusing them was punishable by statute. So much for assumptions! I tried google searching but haven't found any rundown/database of relevant statutes. I may have to ask a friend of a friend of a police officer, etc. to inquire for me. Further, even if these tools are prohibited/restricted by statute, I wonder how seriously they are enforced (or is it like the jaywalking laws where you can often commit it right in front of a patrolman and he scarcely cares)? Thanks for any info you might have.

[sturmgrenadier]

Hi Moderator/Expert, I'm wondering if you recommend that a complete newby buy practice locks, either regular or cutaway, to start learning. I'm a bit confused about how the latter is more challenging for a learner because it gives you the advantage of seeing whether the pins are in the right positions. Also, should someone with no knolwedge of locks and picking start off by hitting the books for a solid week or two, so as to grasp the theory, mechanics and other principles underpinning lock function, before even trying to mess around with actual picking of a lock? Do I need a solid knowledge foundation before I even try the manual part? I really don't know how to goa bout starting. Some guidance would be helpful and appreciated. If there is anything that I learned in my dismal teaching career, it is that it takes much more time and effort to unlearn improper practice/instruction and then learn the proper way than to just learn the right way from the start. I want to avoid devoting resources wastefully and obviously also the frustration that comes with the inevitable failure that results.

[Octillion]

Don't worry about the website disclaimers or state laws too much. Just keep the picks in your house, and you are fine.

I would do a bit of reading (maybe a day's worth), reading the MIT guide, etc, just so you understand the basics of how lock picking works. Then, get some junk locks from your friends and neighbors basement, and rip a few of them apart to see the actual insides, and understand how the lock works.

And start practicing. Take a look at this post http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=10677&start=0

Then practice some more. If you get stuck for a while, take a break, and then practice again.

[illusion]

Click my sig for an all-round decent set of links to some decent threads.

[sturmgrenadier]

Thank you for the helpful link to threads and clearing up the lgeal aspects of owning lockpicking tools, folks. I'm sorry that even with all of the free time that I have, I still find it challenging to keep track of all of the posts that I make here on LP101 and elsewhere. I missed this one, but at least now I know about the search by author feature and that is helping me to stay on top of all of the threads in which i particpate.

[VashTSPD]

Thank you for the helpful link to threads and clearing up the lgeal aspects of owning lockpicking tools, folks. I'm sorry that even with all of the free time that I have, I still find it challenging to keep track of all of the posts that I make here on LP101 and elsewhere. I missed this one, but at least now I know about the search by author feature and that is helping me to stay on top of all of the threads in which i particpate.

when you first login or go to the site, look in the top right, a little under that there should be three small links, something like "view all new posts since last visit" "view my posts" and "view replies" or something close to that, hope that helps.