When my house was broken into when I was away at college they took the screens off…They left the VCR on the porch after getting it outside. "I’m thinking that the conversation went something like this: “BETA! I’m not going to bother carrying that cr@p.”
2 Likes
If you don’t have your keys and left the door deadbolted, you would have to open a window instead.
Another thing that marks how long ago this burglary was: They didn’t take the TV, because it was not a great TV and this was the era of CRTs when TVs weighed a ton. Plus, getting it out of the window would have been tricky.
Actually, that’s a good simple exercise for checking your home’s security. Think of yourself as a teenager who forgot to take keys and has to sneak back into the house after curfew. How would you get in without being spotted by your nosy neighbor or attracting your parents’ attention?
If you can do it, they can do it.
I couldn’t quickly find the relevant code for Alberta, where I live, but I did find the one for British Columbia, just to the West - double cylinder locks are not allowed by the building code there, precisely due to fire safety. I don’t know for sure about here, but I’ve never seen them in stores.
Well, that was for getting out, where you have easy access to the lock on the window. It’s not so much help for getting in unless you forget to lock the window.
That could be a regional thing, because you can still buy them at Home Depot.
It looks like they might be illegal in Vermont. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico often have shipping restrictions, although I wouldn’t think this item would be especially difficult to ship. It’s not especially bulky or heavy.
Even where they are illegal for some applications (ie. Residencial doors), they are probably legal for others (a side door for the garage).
I’m afraid not. Generally, when there is a law in place, the legality or illegality is simply on possession without license, not on use – use is covered by other laws such as illegal entry.
In my area there isn’t a specific law against lockpicks, but you’re basically begging to be brought in on suspicion or for possession of burglarious implements if you don’t have a decent reason for why you’re carrying them.
(Yes, I’m a legitimate though very-part-time locksmith. If you’re interested in locks, I’d recommend that you investigate going that route. It’ll cost you some money to establish and maintain a history, but you’ll learn a lot – including things that will improve your pick use, if that’s all you’re interested in – and it gains you access to publications and wholesalers that won’t talk to the general public. And it’s the best answer if you’re in an area where possession is illegal. And some of the other skills are as entertaining as, if not more entertaining than, playing with picks.)
Just to put this in perspective, the larger pick set I use cost me $15, and the tools I use most often would cost about $5 if purchased separately. And I still use one handmade pick and several handmade tension wrenches just because I’m used to their feel.
It’s my understanding that bump keys make the lock inoperable most of the time. It won’t ever lock again in a majority of cases.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
