Noted security expert Marc Weber Tobias contributes The Lockdown, exposing the shoddy security you may depend on. Includes a video of an eleven-year-old breaking into three trigger locks in three minutes with an ice pick.

In my opinion the answer "we have never had a problem" does not address some very real issues people need to be concerned about when it comes to gun safety: low standards of security coupled with the cheap design of many of gun locks makes for a dire hazard. When I told Project ChildSafe that these gun locks could be bypassed in a few seconds and that the cables could be compromised in less time than specified in the California DOJ standard, I was again told that the lock was secure and that it would be irresponsible to show how to defeat the mechanisms. I was also told that because I was an expert, my opinion in this regard really was not relevant -- the implication was that although I could open these locks, kids could not. Oh really? See the following video, wherein an untrained 11 year old breaks into three widely distributed gun locks.

There are two primary types of locks to protect handguns and rifles: trigger locks (top) that are supposed to prevent the trigger from being pulled, and cable locks (bottom) to prevent the firing of a weapon by blocking the barrel or the use of ammunition. We have evaluated several popular locks to assess their security, including the Project ChildSafe PCS GL710N, Master 109, and Adstar model AB106B and AB105. What we found continues to amaze and trouble us: many of these locks can be removed in seconds with little skill. No real expertise is required, nor is locksmith training. Reference manuals are not needed -- there is already plenty of information on the internet for kids to find and read.

What's more, major manufacturers of popular locks such as Master, Winner International, Remington, Hoppes, and Franzen Security Products have designed their products with virtually identical operating features; they have effectively copied each others' deficient or defective designs. (The Franzen lock above is easily compromised even with a piece of paper or plastic -- sound familiar?) As demonstrated in the accompanying report, these can be compromised in seconds with an ice pick or long and thin screwdriver. To make matters worse, I demonstrated the removal of some of these locks from my Glock 9mm by slamming the butt against a hard surface. It was no problem to cause the lock to fly apart, exposing the trigger.