# bic pens can pick more than bike locks!



## bigair (Apr 16, 2004)

How about gun safes?

Last Updated: 12:34 am, Saturday, September 25th, 2004

Gun cabinet locks no match for pen
By Barb Ickes : Viewpoint
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By putting two and two together, a Bettendorf father of three managed to break into his own gun cabinet using nothing but a Bic pen.
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The man asked that only his first name, Mark, be used in this article, fearing that publishing his identity and the fact that he has guns in his home could invite trouble.
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The company that made his gun cabinet was very familiar with Marks name after he made several calls to them this week.
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Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES
A Bettendorf man has learned its easy to pick a lock on his gun cabinet using the slightly altered barrel of a Bic pen. He discovered that after reading an article about pens being used to pick an expensive brand of bicycle lock.

When news broke last week about a popular, high-end brand of bicycle lock, Kryptonite, being susceptible to a simple break-in method, the Bettendorf man recognized the type of tubular lock and round key that were described in the story. It sounded just like the lock on the gun cabinet bolted to the wall of his bedroom closet.
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After reading the story, the man called Wauconda, Ill.-based Stack-On Products Co., which made his gun cabinet. Even though a company spokesperson assured him his cabinet was secure and the lock could not be opened with a pen, he was not convinced.
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I used three different kinds of pens, he said. I need to be thorough. Ive got three kids living in my house.
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After doing a little research on the Internet and reading about the flaw in the Kryptonite locks, the man went to a Staples store to buy a box of the Bic pens that were specifically cited as the break-in tool. He pulled the ink cartridge out of a pen and widened one end of the barrel slightly by scraping it with his pocket knife, just like a Web site instructed.
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I had run home for lunch and was in a hurry, he said. Within 30 seconds, I was into the safe with that pen.
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Another call went into Stack-On, he said, and, this time the same employee told him an engineer would be dispatched to Bettendorf to inspect his gun cabinet.
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On Wednesday afternoon, the man demonstrated how he could move the locking mechanism on his gun cabinet with a slightly altered Bic pen.
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You can find more expensive gun cabinets that will protect your weapons from fire and all that, but all I really needed was to keep my guns away from my kids, he said. It turns out I had a false sense of security.
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Susan Eckhoff, the vice president of administration for Stack-On, said the calls from Bettendorf launched the companys engineering department into an investigation of the tubular locks. She would neither confirm nor deny that the locks may be faulty.
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Right now, theyre telling me theyll have something on our Web site next week  Monday or Tuesday, she said. Not everything is finalized.
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(The Bettendorf man) is the only phone call we had, she said. Were very grateful that he did call.
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To hear some area retailers tell it, many gun owners have become increasingly security-savvy and are investing in more expensive gun safes and cabinets that use combination or electronic locks rather than the tubular locks. The less expensive models, such as the Stack-On cabinet that was opened with a Bic pen, are not as popular as they used to be, retailers say.
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In fact, some stores have stopped stocking the tubular-lock models made by Stack-On.
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Security is a definite concern and thats why we stopped selling them, said Matt Meyer, a manager at K&K Hardware in Bettendorf. If I wanted to keep my young children out of it, I would choose the heaviest-duty gun cabinet I could find.
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I have two kids and I wouldnt buy a cheap one.
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The cabinets can range in price from less than $100 to well over $1,000, but, regardless of price, manufacturers boast that all of their cabinets are secure. In fact, the model the Bettendorf father owns is one of the products pictured on the Stack-On Web site, where it notes that the cabinet is California Department of Justice Certified.
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Even so, Kevin Nyberg, the manager of the Gander Mountain sporting goods store in Davenport, said an increasing number of gun owners are willing to pay the extra money for heavy-duty gun safes and cabinets. He estimated that, in the past six months, his store has sold only a couple of the Stack-On models that use a tubular lock.
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Nyberg also said he is confident Stack-On will correct the problem.

I wouldnt doubt at all that theyll be sending lock upgrades  or complete return-to-vendor offers, he said. Stack-On is a stand-up company, and Im sure that when their engineers figure it out, theyll do something to fix the problem.
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While the Bettendorf man said he is most alarmed by the apparent vulnerability of tubular locks on gun safes, he wonders how many other products are at risk.
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Im guessing well be seeing Bic pens sticking out of vending machines, pay phones and file cabinets all over the place, he said. But security doesnt get any more important than when youre talking about keeping guns out of the hands of children.

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I took up racing because I was too lazy to work and too chicken to steal.


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## Karl C (Sep 23, 2004)

Thats a interesesting story, i remember when i was a kid my dad had a regular gun cabnet, you know the kind , glass front so you could see all the weapons,no lock or all on it, it wouln'd have mattered, they all got stolen, not just once he didnt learn a lesson, rebuilt the collection then got ripped off again, i was so pissed, anyways i started my own collection out here till it got out of hand , you know guns under the bed , in the closet, basically everywheres i could find a place to stash them, I have a son that i have taught since he was a little munchkin never to touch any gun if he saw one or found one, my son did find one of mine years ago, it was not loaded and he didnt touch, but he did come up to me and told me he found it, after that, BIG ASS SAFE was installed,I really dont worry bout him but back then alot of small kids were coming round the house and that did worry me, the safe was installed to keep other kids from finding anything and to keep from getting ripped off like my dad, my son is very responsible and knows how to treat firearms safly,most kids brought up with firearms are taught how to handle them safley and not to touch, back in my day hell the gun cabnet was in my room, most people had them in regular gun cabnets and kids knew not to touch, as for the cheap cabnets that can be broken into, buy a new one or use the gun locks also that come with most firearms, and by all means teach your kids well


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## bigair (Apr 16, 2004)

I posted this only so guys who have a stack-on could be aware of this problem.


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## WALLEYEvision (Dec 5, 2003)

Thanks for the info bigair!


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## Randy Kidd (Apr 21, 2001)

Thanks for the Info....I tried to E-Mail it to my brother at his work..He is the Customer relations director for a large corporation. He has several of these type of cabinets also, Anyway Every time I tried to send it I would get it back saying that there was a "permenant error" with the address..So I called him..He just called me back..seems his company is firewalled for the mention of the words weapons, guns, ect..Boy is he pissed.. I sent it to his home address..


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## Rupestris (Aug 25, 2000)

I have a small Stack-On pistol safe with the digital key pad. It has a back-up key lock. I'll try it and post my results.


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## Rupestris (Aug 25, 2000)

From the Stack-on website:

WEB SITE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM
JOHN LYNN, PRESIDENT OF STACK-ON PRODUCTS CO. 

Since recent news reports indicated that Kryptonite bicycle locks - and other locks using tubular cylinders - can be compromised, we have worked with our lock supplier and engineers to conduct an analysis of our own products. 

We are pleased to report that all of our gun safes and fire resistant safes are not affected by the developments concerning tubular cylinder locks. Our gun cabinets, however, do use a type of tubular lock and tests we conducted indicate that some of these locks are susceptible to being picked through certain manipulations. 

All of our gun safes and gun cabinets comply with accepted industry security standards. While all of our products continue to provide a significant deterrent to theft, we want to provide an option to our gun cabinet customers who would prefer a non-tubular lock. For those customers we are offering, free-of-charge, a replacement non-tubular lock, with instructions for installation.

For 32 years, our hallmarks have been safety, security and customer satisfaction. We are committed to you, our customer, and will continue to do everything we can to provide for your storage needs. Thank you for your time. Please contact our customer service department at (800) 323-9601 or visit our website www.stack-on.com if you have any further questions.

I tried the Bic pen on my safe. Proves only one thing on my part. There's a reason I'm not a thief. :lol: 

I ended up splitting the pen barrel so one attempt was all I could manage. I'll give it another try and if I manage to get it open I'll call for a new lock. Otherwise, its fine the way it is.

cs


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## bigair (Apr 16, 2004)

That is good that they stand behind their product.


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