Federal prohibition on mailing locksmith devices (picks)

[Poff]

Personally speaking, I think this is more one of those "idiot" laws- not the actual law, but if you actually get charged with it.


Bad person buys tools online, and its shipped USPS.

Bad person breaks into a house with said tools and is caught.

When police investigate, and find tools bought online and shipped via USPS, police have yet another item to charge said offender with.



Its like our License place cover law over here in Ontario- its illegal to have a transparent plate cover on your vehicle. Lots of people do, but they are never charged for it, unless the person is being an "idiot" (when being investigated for speeding, etc) -hence an idiot charge (better known in police circles as an "@$$hole charge")

I think I read somewhere, about the USPS law, that it is actually the shipper who is responsible not the recipient.

[n2oah]

The other part of the postal code you are missing is that these locksmithing devices cannot be labeled as such even when you are mailing them to a "bona fide" lockie, which produces interesting complications when mailing to another country with a customs form required.

Yes, it does create an interesting problem. Whenever I have mailed/received picks via USPS they're always "dental tools."

[SmashOgre]

HI All,

it is still illegal to send lock picks by mail. I've got a letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prove it.

[Squelchtone]

HI All,

it is still illegal to send lock picks by mail. I've got a letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prove it.

unless you are a locksmith or someone society accepts as having legal access to them such as a tow truck driver etc, then yes it is still illegal.

where are you and where and how much were you shipping to, that customs got involved?

[SmashOgre]

I live in the USA, state of Georgia but ordered the lock pick gun kit from a web site advertising on Facebook. I ordered two kits and received a seizure letter yesterday. I have no idea where the kits originated but they were seized by the CBP office in Miami, Fl.

[Squelchtone]

I live in the USA, state of Georgia but ordered the lock pick gun kit from a web site advertising on Facebook. I ordered two kits and received a seizure letter yesterday. I have no idea where the kits originated but they were seized by the CBP office in Miami, Fl.

plenty of reliable suppliers inside the usa...

https://www.lockpickshop.com
https://www.southord.com
https://www.lockpicks.com

are you looking to learn hobby lockpicking or learning to be a real locksmith? just ordering a lock pick gun may trip some "that might be for someth8ng shady" alerts for some people.

[SmashOgre]

Honestly, I have always been curious about how locks and lock picks work. The gun struck me as "easy" to learn for a newbie. I also have an RV with a main door lock that someone ripped the key out halfway between locked and unlocked and it won't let me reinsert the key. I don't want to spend $60 - $100 for a new lock assembly if I can restore function. I also guess a locksmith service would cost more than the $42 I paid for the pick gun kits (I ordered 2).

[billdeserthills]

Honestly, I have always been curious about how locks and lock picks work. The gun struck me as "easy" to learn for a newbie. I also have an RV with a main door lock that someone ripped the key out halfway between locked and unlocked and it won't let me reinsert the key. I don't want to spend $60 - $100 for a new lock assembly if I can restore function. I also guess a locksmith service would cost more than the $42 I paid for the pick gun kits (I ordered 2).

Your RV lock is likely a wafer tumbler lock, so 'ripping' the key out probably bent the wafers.
Very few of these locks come apart for replacement of the wafer tumblers & pick guns are for picking
pin tumbler locks, I doubt they will work well on a bent wafer tumbler lock

[sign216]

I am a in law enforcement entity. Our prosecution/arrest for "burglarious tools" (ch 266 s49 of Mass law) was only done when someone was obviously performing a break-in or had that intent. A locksmith, or a student of locksmithing, or even an amateur practitioner, has no worries. The law is geared towards criminals, performing crimes.
I can't help you with the mailing issues, but as for finding them on your person, don't worry about it, at least in Massachusetts.
Joe

[Valentin555]

That is very curious from my point of view because here in France there are almost no laws about the restriction of any locksmith devices. I know it's the same case for Switzerland too. The few restrictions concern the "car computers" that can start a car without the electronic key.

[stratmando]

Went to translate the Latin, I said,
"Claustrarius artifex" , Google searched, came up with
"Car Stereo Auto Fix"?
Will look later when I have time to type it. Not as bad as when I asked a customer to pick up a box of Tapcons, but Google Changed to, "Can you pick up a box of Tampons", sure glad I caught it, really needed the Tapcons.
Good work Squelch

[GWiens2001]

Went to translate the Latin, I said,
"Claustrarius artifex" , Google searched, came up with
"Car Stereo Auto Fix"?
Will look later when I have time to type it. Not as bad as when I asked a customer to pick up a box of Tapcons, but Google Changed to, "Can you pick up a box of Tampons", sure glad I caught it, really needed the Tapcons.
Good work Squelch

Yet if you had needed tampons, you would likely have been seriously annoyed if Google changed it to Tapcons.



Gordon