public opinion of lockpicking?

[ratyoke]

Hi. I am new to this hobby. My friend can pick locks, his dad is a locksmith, that is how I got interested in it.

Anyway my question is how do people respond to hearing that lock picking is your hobby?

I always thought it was cool, I assumed other people thought the same thing. I was at my parents house the other day, and I wanted to show my dad something on the computer, I brought up internet explorer and some lockpicking site was open, and he saw it and asked why I am looking at that. I said I am learning to pick locks. He didnt like it, he wanted to know why. I told him its cool, he still didn't like it. btw, I am an adult, 32 years old, and I have never had any trouble with the law, so its not like there is any reason to believe I am taking up burglary as a new profession. The next day he tells me nothing good can come from learning to pick locks. I thought that was funny, but made me wonder if I mentioned my new hobby to the wrong person are they going to assume I am a criminal?

[poor paperclip picker]

It all depends on what the persons views of picking and you are. Everyone has their own opinion about everything. Overall I believe that most of the public looks at hobbyists as people intending to break the law. I know that a lot of people when I first started thought that it was weird or I was planning on starting an illegal career. That is all wrong though, I would like to become a locksmith one day, and I am just practicing and increasing my skills now.

But overall I believe that some people will thinks its cool, and others will think that you are planning something bad.

As for cops, if you get busted for anything and they see you have picks they will throw a possesion of burglary tool charge on you at the least. Most cases they will charge you with burglary.

Anyways I hope this helped and welcome to lp101.

[eurolock fan]

I guess I should consider myself lucky then. My parents are very supportive of my hobby. For example last Christmas they bought me over $50.00 worth of tools from Southord and from time to time they buy me new locks just for practice.

[CVScam]

I am in my 30s and when I was in School anyone who could program a computer was considered a hacker. Now people understand that many "hackers" point out flaws and vulnerabilities in software. Lockpicking hobbyists just show the adverage person how easy it is for many locks to picked/bumped open.

[josh0094]

my parents thought that its cool.


my mom still calls me "a pick"

people ask me what im into and i say, dirt jumping, lockpicking and DJing.

wait. what do you mean by lockpicking?

i explain ect ect.


I volunteer at a science museum and i told my boss about this and he was quite interstead about this. it seemed like he didnt quite know what to think about it.

so. yeah. depends on the person. and if theres a full moon out.

[bumber]

Like its been said it depends on who it is...if someone you tell says that you are learning just to be a thief, tell them 'see that brick over there it would be alot cheaper and faster to use that' and then that should let them know you are only a hobbiest.

But you dont have it too bad, like when I tell people about my hobbies I like to stop just after video games...because some of them are
play music,video games.....lock pick, software cracking, computer "hacking"(the legal way) competitive shooting....by then the person already has the 9-1 dialed

[ratyoke]

I think all of my friends know me well enough that I could say I have started picking locks, and talk to them about it without them thinking I was planning to become a burglar. But the people I don't know well are the ones I worry about telling.

I used to shoot (havent shot a gun in probably 5 years), and I had no problem telling people I liked shooting. I think because everyone knows some people like to shoot, even if they don't agree with it. And I trained in kali for several years till I moved, and people would ask what kali is and I would say a Filipino martial art, and they ask what kind of stuff we do, and I say we mostly train with sticks and knives. That has gotten me some weird looks. But lots of people do martial arts. I don't think many people are aware of lockpicking as a hobby. I wasn't really aware of it till last week. I always thought it would be cool to learn, but I didn't realize there were so many other people who were into it as a hobby.

[poor paperclip picker]

yeah there are a lot of people into it as a hobby. It is a great way for me to relieve some stress, kill some time, or just do some thing for fun.

Keep on pickin'!!!

[raimundo]

One in four americans has the fascist personality, they obey orders and believe in control over everything, and the fuhrer principle. This explains a lot about the last 7 years. Such people had parents who offered conditional love, and they were forever in fear of losing it, so they kept everything in their room carefully placed forever in the same place.
They are suspicious, angry, controlling and very narrow people. Just seeing a free man frightens them. Just google "fascist personality" and find all the info.

[ShanePicklefish]

"i think it's ok to have a safe-cracking, lock-picking club, as long as the police get fingerprints and DNA samples of everyone in the club" - Some idiot writing into the daily texan newspaper about Longhorn Lockpicking Club

Some people think that everyone is a criminal, those people are usually criminals themselves...

At first the police distrusted the club, but then they came around, and distrusted them less...

[Gelmar]

The people who are offended by it or think you are going to do something illegal, are just ignorant. Hopefully you're friends and family, can be open minded to your hobby. Most people can only think in practicalities and the only practical use for lockpicking most people can think of is either locksmith or a burglar.

When I tell people I pick locks I usually explain before hand that I like to work puzzles. When I bring lockpicking into the conversation I can explain that it is really like a puzzle in that you have to explore your options and try to solve a problem. I still get weird looks but alot of people start to get the idea when I start with that.

[ratyoke]

"i think it's ok to have a safe-cracking, lock-picking club, as long as the police get fingerprints and DNA samples of everyone in the club" - Some idiot writing into the daily texan newspaper about Longhorn Lockpicking Club

Some people think that everyone is a criminal, those people are usually criminals themselves...

At first the police distrusted the club, but then they came around, and distrusted them less...

Wow, thats really stupid. Insulting too.

When you say the police came around, do you mean the police were invited to see what the club was about? or the police came uninvited, like someone called them?

[vitti]

I read it as "came around" as in "reached an understanding"

[ShanePicklefish]

"i think it's ok to have a safe-cracking, lock-picking club, as long as the police get fingerprints and DNA samples of everyone in the club" - Some idiot writing into the daily texan newspaper about Longhorn Lockpicking Club

Some people think that everyone is a criminal, those people are usually criminals themselves...

At first the police distrusted the club, but then they came around, and distrusted them less...

Wow, thats really stupid. Insulting too.

When you say the police came around, do you mean the police were invited to see what the club was about? or the police came uninvited, like someone called them?

Idunno, you'll have to ask doug. Apparently they showed up uninvited (but it's an open thing so anyone can come) and were like "what do yall think you are doing" but now they know that things are dandy and it's not a club full of criminals.

[ShanePicklefish]

I read it as "came around" as in "reached an understanding"

you are right, that's what I meant.