Teaching kids to pick locks

[PeterPickedaPepper]

I recommend against it. Frankly I think this is a much worse idea than teaching teenagers how to shoot guns (which I'm in favour of). The thing is, guns can be locked up securely. (Although doing so adequately might get rather expensive if you do teach them to pick!) Lockpicks are impossible to control access to, because as we all know here, you can just make your own out of something innocuous like wiper inserts or feeler gauges.

Additionally, while the majority of kids wouldn't likely misuse firearms anyway (IMO), there is a lot more grey area and temptation with lockpicking. Probably most kids wouldn't try something obviously stupid and wrong like breaking into someone's house or business, locked rooms in a school might be another matter. I personally got in serious shit (and rightfully had my picks taken away) at around 17 for picking the (hilariously trivial wafer) lock to a friend's parents' liquor cabinet. Then they came home early. Whoops.

I definitely get the temptation to teach others the skill, but I would really stick to other adults with a trustworthy temperament. Even good kids might get themselves into serious trouble.

(BTW I am now a licensed working locksmith.)

Thats hilarious!

Just one other observation I've had. Adults that have asked me about lock picking often have some sort of facetious remark about theft or illegal entry. My son on the other hand had his school camp last week and mentioned how one of his friends walked out of their cabin and locked everyone out buy mistake. He said "if only i could have opened it we wouldn't have been left out in the cold". They were never in any danger, a teacher was found and opened the door with a key shortly after. But i think its interesting how his mind works.

You guys obviously have a lot more experience on the matter so its something ill need to think about. I can totally see your side of the argument (sort of, being Australian teaching young children how to shoot guns is a foreign concept) I can see what your argument is though. I wont be able to supervise their actions 100% of the time and even though I think they have the most pure of intensions there could be others out there that get into their ear about something.

I am a little disappointed though... i had a few good dad jokes about lock picking... "it'll open doors in the future" got a few eye rolls

Cheers

[high_order1]

Lemme tell ya

If your kids acquire this skill, forever more, if something happens where a lock secured something and something happened without obvious forced entry, they are immediate suspects.

I.E., "I know I locked that up, and he knows how to do all that (waves dismissively), so clearly he's the one that got in there."

Back in the late 70's when I figured all this out on my own, my main risk was a serious butt whooping.

In 2019, kids go to jail for stuff I would have only had someone yell at me over.

Point I'm trying to make, is that even if your kids are well-adjusted, the society they find themselves in are not, and would rather fingerpoint than really try to solve an issue. Lockpickers scare people. People that can figure out stuff scare people.

You can learn anything on youtube. Let them watch you, if they are interested, go from there, impressing on them how people that don't think like they do may view this hobby...

[B1LLY-G04T]

I learnt how to pick locks at a young age (older than your children however. I was around 16 when I learnt how to pick my first lock). I did not not commit serious crimes with this new-found ability like burglary or theft but I have done a few sketchy things that only now I realise were stupid such as picking locks of my colleges class-doors on week-ends so my friends and I could either study or play poker in private (usually play card games). Looking back now I realise how much trouble we could have been in if we got caught (A suspension would be getting off easy, expulsion would have been more likely).

I want to warn that any kid who learns a cool skill cannot ever resist showing it off to friends which is why a child or teenager learning to pick locks can be risky. I think its important that they learn that picking a lock which isn't their own property is illegal (and on private property no less is REALLY ILLEGAL) unless the owner has given them consent to picking it. It doesn't matter what the intentions are, if you are caught red-handed picking someone else's lock thats it. You're done for.