Talk:Locksmithing

Legal Status
This entire section is bogus and has no sources. Possession of a lockpick illegal in the U.S.? Well, then how do locksmiths legally possess them? Locksmithing doesn't require a license or background check. You can even get into it as a profession through home study correspondence courses.

Also, crowbars aren't illegal in the U.S.! You can buy a crow bar at any hardware store. You can even buy them at Home Depot online! Just do a search and see! Crowbars are used for removing nails and opening windows. Nearly all household hammers include a mini crowbar on the opposite end of their head.

Possession of crowbars can be considered burglary tools just as much as a screwdriver or a hammer. All one needs to do is find the intent of the person who is carrying them. IE, late at night dressed in dark clothing, suspect has prior history of burglary.

Possession of lockpick sets in California is restricted to Public Safety Persons and Locksmiths. Locksmiths have a license to possess lickpick sets. <<-- Untrue. Possesion in California is completely legal, and I have corrected that section with relevant cites to the penal code. Cosmos7 07:23, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

'''edit**NOTE: The laws stated below only state that it is illegal to break and enter using such tools, it only says it's illegal to use them for illegal purposes, not illegal to only possess them. And duh crowbars are not illegal, it states clearly, its only illegal to USE THEM FOR ILLEGAL PURPOSES. only illegal if you POSSESS THEM WITH INTENT TO COMIT AN ILLEGAL ACT. but for hobbies and personal use not breaking the law, its not illegal, there u go. some places lockpicks are illegal, you should although check for yourself if your province or state has declared this so before obtaining lockpicks.'''

US State Laws
Oregon law ORS 164.125 states that if you possess a "burglary tool" or "theft device" with intent to commit forcible entry it is a class A misdemeanor. "Burglary tools" includes lockpicks and crowbars as they are "adapted or designed for committing or facilitating a forcible entry". Simple possession is not a crime, you must have intent to commit a crime.

Arizona has a similar law, ARS 13-1505 as does Texas Texas Penal Code Title 4, 16.01.

I have not looked into other states. --Schwern 12:12, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Mississippi State Law on lock picking tools Reference: http://198.187.128.12/mississippi/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=fs-main.htm&2.0 § 97-17-35. Burglary; possession of burglar's tools. It is unlawful for any person to have in his possession implements, tools, or instruments designed to aid in the commission of burglary, larceny or robbery; and on the conviction of any person thereof, he shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding five (5) years, or in the county jail not exceeding one year. The carrying concealed about one's person, or in one's baggage, implements, tools, or instruments peculiarly adapted to aid in the commission of burglary, larceny or robbery, shall be prima facie evidence of intention to use them for such purpose. Sources: Codes, 1892, § 997; Laws, 1906, § 1074; Hemingway's 1917, § 802; Laws, 1930, § 818; Laws, 1942, § 2044; Laws, 1956, ch. 246.

Prima Facie - at first apperance, at first view, before investigation, plain or clear, self-evident, obvious

My interpretation of the last sentence is that simple possesion of a lock pick is illegal in the state of mississippi. Unfortunately, one can not do lock picking as a hobby in this state.

Bump Keys
Bumps keys is a larg security issue because of its simplicity and its high functionality, wich open certain type of locks without damaging them. The Open Organisation of Lockpickers (TOOOL) puplished a descriptive Paper on it already in 2005 (http://www.toool.nl/bumping.pdf) and additionally talks and videos on this specific technique to prevent Security through obscurity, also describing locks that are "Bump Proof" and why.

With help of a video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexoP5ZDWgg) and similar sites (newsweek, digg, ...) this Topic has become quite popular in these days and may have a effect finnaly in the puplic. Even when this is known for years by the industry. RobertSt 19:56, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Here is an article from ALOA: Bumpkeys.PDF. Dan D. Ric 21:57, 30 August 2006 (UTC)


 * To quote a small section: "Initially the individuals who promoted this information to the press may have been making what ALOA perceives as a mis-guided attempt at consumer awareness. They gave the impression that opening locks by Key Bumping was a wide-spread problem. It certainly has not been a method used by most burglars for many reasons. However, now that this method of opening some locks has become a popular theme, the most probable effect will be to stimulate the interest of would-be burglars to attempt to Bump Open locks!" Bumpkeys.PDF. Dan D. Ric 22:25, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

-Problems with bumping: To successfully bump a lock, you need to have a key that will fit the lock. With so many key designs out there, a person using bumping will need to have thousands of specially modified "bump keys." It is quite easy to make locks unbumpable. If you put a ball bearing on the top of each pin, the ball bearing absorbs the shock and keeps the pins from staying at the sheer line. Companies like Medeco have already caught onto putting objects such as these into their locks to prevent this kind of thing. Finally, it damages the lock. The impact can dent the keyway, making it impossible to get the real key back in. This leaves a trace, making the problem of insurance companies not paying for "no traces of burglary."

Lock bypassing
This is, strictly speaking, a lock bypass method, not a lock picking method. We should move it to an article on jimmying, if there ever is one. jdb &#x274b; (talk) 15:22, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Yes, there are many ways to open locks that aren't technically picking. Personally, I think we might as well keep the page as-is for now (with disclaimers as necessary), since the current text is neither large nor complete. Wyvern 12:15, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Car locks
Car locks can sometimes be opened by slipping a metal ruler that has had its end cut into a hook shape (a slim Jim), down the front of a car window (in between the rubber). The ruler is manipulated until the lock cable is caught on the hook. Pulling the cable up will open the door. On modern cars, however, this technique could easily damage the electrical wiring that controls the door locks or windows, so "slim jims" are usually inserted from the passenger side, to avoid the large amounts of wiring that are installed on the driver's door.

Tools
Why doesn't the lockpicking page have a section on lockpicks and how they are used? Is it just that nobody's gotten around to writing it up yet, or is there some objection to being more detailed? I'm sure there are people on Wiki more experienced than myself in this, but I could take a shot at a light overview. Wyvern 12:15, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)


 * Go for it. A light overview can always be edited later to fill in more detail. I can help with any diagrams if you like. Theresa Knott (ask the rotten) 12:48, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Added a section on tools still plenty of room for improvement though --67.76.182.11 04:38, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Columbia?
Does this mean Washington, D.C.? If it does, we should link to the statute in question. (And who refers to the nation's capital as "Columbia"? Everyone I know calls it "Washington", "D.C.", or "The District", though the latter is used only by insufferables.) jdb &#x274b; (talk) 21:24, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Im pretty sure its refering to D.C., but i left it be since i am unsure
 * Found a resource that does say "District of Columbia" on it as to the place it is illegal at, here, on question three where it asks if it's legal to carry lock picks. I'm going to edit the article to reflect that, and post the resource. Zeke

Picture
As far as i understood, the torque wrench applies torque to the cilinder as if it was a key ( meaning, try to rotate clockwise ) however, this is not described in the text, nor in the diagram. If I am indeed right, I can add another view to make the diagram clear ( and i suggest tha someone such do it in the text )

Category
Is this really considered a page? It's not about computers. Should the category be split? Does it matter? --unforgettableid | talk to me 21:47, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

Tone
"Then BAM! you will put the key into the lock and then the lock will open! It is an absolutly fantastic and fun skill to have, ecspecially if you are in a university setting."

This bit needs rephrasing, the tone is very unencyclopaedic. Shinobu 13:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Additionally, much of the article is written in the second person. Tagged for cleanup. -- J  Morgan (talk) 14:29, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
 * The person that wrote the BAM bit contributed two major sections, both of which could use some heavy copy editing. Here are the diffs of the edits on the Pin Tumbler Locks and Key Impressioning sections. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lock_picking&diff=66099776&oldid=65245650 -- Phloopy 16:19, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that was me. Sorry about that - I get super carried away when I talk about locksmithing.  I am an avid enthusiast (and a very skilled one at that).  Thanks for cleaning up after my mess. --Yoyoceramic 04:51, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Improvements
Although i am generally impressed with the quality of Wikipedias pages, i cannot unfortunatly say the same about this one - the article is written in the same vein as the majority of most published material on the topic, containing some gross errors that i do not believe to be intentional and being heavily biased towards American terminolgy. Unfortunatly this disenfranchises a large section of your readership from comprehending the article. As a lecturer in lock picking and locksmithing in both the government and public sector, i would be happy to contribute to this article, being of the mind that such information is essential for informed decision and to promote greater ingenuity on the part of manufacturers. Unfortunately, as this is the first time i have entered this site, i have no idea how to proceed further. Should anyone be interested in my proposition, i would appreciate your help.Jwsa 16:20, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Then I suggest you learn how to edit. http://www.mediawiki.com and the Firefox extension for wikipedia might be a good start. --Yoyoceramic 04:50, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Laws in Downunder
Anyone mind telling me the laws about this in australia. Searched 2 legal sites and came up with zip.

Locksmith in Las vegas
Wikipedia says locksmithing is illegal in some countries. www.locksmithlas.vegas Are providing Locksmith services in Las vegas.I was wondering if it is legal or illegal in the law ? because i also want to start such business but don't want to mess with law of state. Hawkgigs (discuss • contribs) 16:45, 15 November 2015 (UTC)