Journal Sylver Dragon's Journal: Don't use cable gun locks 1
This weekend, I went out to the rifle range with my wife, her parents, and a few friends. And it was, as always, a blast; at least until it began to snow. It was the first chance I had had to shoot my, new to me, M91/30 (receiver is stamped as 1943 manufacture). Also, one of my friends was bringing out his recently purchased 8mm Mauser.
We all met up at my home (being the most central and closest to the range). And while transferring the Mauser to my trunk (I was one of two driving), my friend came to the realization that he had forgotten the key to his gun lock. This, of course, was going to be a problem as his home was about an hour and a half away. The lock he had was the one which came with the rifle (California mandate, you buy a firearm, you buy a lock), and was the kind which had the cable going through the receiver.
Now, being a gun rights advocate, I tend to read a few web pages about firearms and firearms safety. I immediately remembered this gem. Wherein an eleven year old kid demonstrates to us how to open most common gun locks on the market, and the article goes on to show the primary failing with the cable locks. Five minutes later, most of which was taken up pulling out the pliers and explaining to my wife that we didn't really have another good workaround; the lock was in pieces and the rifle was good to go. No worries anyone, I have an extra cable lock for my friend.
I'm not big on gun locks to begin with. They provide a false sense of security, and prevent you from actually getting to a firearm quickly should you need to. That said, if you are going to use one, spend a bit more money and get a better one. The cable locks are hardly a deterrent and can be bypassed very quickly. If you have one to prevent your children from accessing your firearms, replace it with something more robust. The amount of time to bypass it was minimal, and the amount of force I used was well within the range of a child. And, most likely, you child knows where the pliers are and can find this information really quick.
We all met up at my home (being the most central and closest to the range). And while transferring the Mauser to my trunk (I was one of two driving), my friend came to the realization that he had forgotten the key to his gun lock. This, of course, was going to be a problem as his home was about an hour and a half away. The lock he had was the one which came with the rifle (California mandate, you buy a firearm, you buy a lock), and was the kind which had the cable going through the receiver.
Now, being a gun rights advocate, I tend to read a few web pages about firearms and firearms safety. I immediately remembered this gem. Wherein an eleven year old kid demonstrates to us how to open most common gun locks on the market, and the article goes on to show the primary failing with the cable locks. Five minutes later, most of which was taken up pulling out the pliers and explaining to my wife that we didn't really have another good workaround; the lock was in pieces and the rifle was good to go. No worries anyone, I have an extra cable lock for my friend.
I'm not big on gun locks to begin with. They provide a false sense of security, and prevent you from actually getting to a firearm quickly should you need to. That said, if you are going to use one, spend a bit more money and get a better one. The cable locks are hardly a deterrent and can be bypassed very quickly. If you have one to prevent your children from accessing your firearms, replace it with something more robust. The amount of time to bypass it was minimal, and the amount of force I used was well within the range of a child. And, most likely, you child knows where the pliers are and can find this information really quick.
use a life jacket instead (Score:2)