In Australia, the possession of locking devices is legal. However, this may be part of the evidence of intent to commit a criminal offence if otherwise incriminating circumstances warrant reasonable suspicion on the part of the police. For example, Queensland state law states that most countries in the European Union do not regulate the possession of lock picks. Full responsibility for the criminal or legal acts in which the picks are used lies with the owner of the lock picks. Since I am a person who owns a locking device, I assume that I am legally allowed to be in possession of a pick to open the locks I own. There is no law or regulation to crack locks, so it is legal as long as you have permission from the lock owner to break the lock in question. Lock picking can be bought and sold freely. There are several clubs where cracking locks is practiced as a sport. [22] Lock cracking has also become a popular part of geocaching in Germany. [23] There are also lock picking workshops at geocaching events. [24] In the United States, laws governing the possession of lock picks vary from state to state. In general, the possession and use of lock picks is considered equivalent to the possession of a crowbar or other tool that may or may not be used in the event of a burglary.
Possession of lock pickers with the intent of their illegal use is generally prosecuted as an administrative offence in the category of possession of burglary tools or similar laws. In many states, the mere possession of lock picks is completely legal, as laws prohibit the possession of lock picks or lock picking activity only if there is malicious intent. [32] This is the case in Arizona[33], California[32], Utah[34], Maine[35], Massachusetts[36], New Hampshire[37], Washington D.C., Washington State[38] and New York. [39] Some states, such as California and New York, impose restrictions on businesses, such as prohibiting the operation of a locksmith business without a license and imposing conditions on keeping records of the sale of lock picks. [32] [40] [41] In some countries, such as Japan, locking tools are illegal for most people, but in many others they are available and legal as long as there is no intention to use them for criminal purposes. Are lock picks legal? Now that it`s over, in most parts of the United States and Europe, owning locking peaks is generally considered similar to owning a screwdriver. In most of these places, it is legal to own locks unless you own them with the intent to commit a crime. Often, the phrase in the law is similar to: “possession of tools with intent to commit a burglary” and intent must be proven for a crime to be committed.
Owning the tools alone is usually not a crime in most places. In the United States, it is illegal to ship lock picks or molding tools through the U.S. Postal Service. We ship all our packages via us Postal Service, with the exception of orders that include lock picks or printing tools. Orders containing these restricted items will be shipped by UPS Ground. Unfortunately, UPS shipping outside the U.S. is so prohibitive that we only ship lock picks to the U.S. All other items are shipped everywhere and we have shipped to over 40 countries. I`m interested in learning locks as an occasional hobby, but I don`t want to be arrested for owning locks. An ephemeral Google search displays this email claiming to be from a government employee.
In British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, a license is required to perform locksmithing in a professional manner. [16] [17] It is legal for amateurs who are not locksmiths to choose locks they own. [Citation needed] In the Netherlands, it is legal to own lock picks, but using them on someone else`s locks without permission is not. There is a lock-picking championship, the Dutch Open (organized by TOOOL), which was launched in 2002 and in which competitors from all over the world participate. The competition takes place during LockCon, an annual lock conference. [27] [28] Some provinces require a permit to wear lock picks. [19] Unlike most laws in Canada, the onus is on the defendant to prove that he or she has a legal purpose to use the lock picks. As with some drug trafficking offences, this can be applied automatically when possession is detected, although corroborating evidence is required to support these charges.
[20] The use by amateurs and their indications should constitute reasonable doubts, although the defendant must prove legal purposes, the Crown must always declare that the charges are reasonable in the circumstances. For example, the discovery of lock crackers in a residential building in the absence of other evidence of burglary is not a reason for this charge. [21] It is not uncommon for hackathon events in Canada to have lock picking challenges, which would provide a reasonable and legal reason for ownership. Under section 351 of the Canadian Criminal Code, locking tools fall into the same category as crowbars or hammers, meaning they can be possessed and used unless they are used to commit a crime or if the intent is proven to have committed a crime. In Canada, the possession of lock picking tools, with the exception of key duplication tools, is legal. Locking tools fall into the same category as crowbars or hammers, meaning they can be possessed and used unless they are used to commit a crime or when it is proven that “the intent is to commit a crime”, in which case “possession of tools with intent to commit a crime” applies – resulting in a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. See Part VIII – Section 351 Some provinces require a permit to carry lock picks. In New Zealand, tools to break locks are not illegal, but possession with intent to use them for burglary carries a possible three-year prison sentence. [29] Basically, the email cites some laws and says it`s legal to have a bunch of hooks in your home if you`re not planning a B&E.
We are aware of the following exceptions to this rule and there are probably other places where possession of lock picks can be illegal. The mere possession of lock buttons may be illegal in the following areas (usually without a locksmith`s license): (a) guilty of a criminal offence and punishable by up to ten years` imprisonment; or in Poland, in accordance with Article 129/1 of the Law on Administrative Offences: both (1) the possession, manufacture or acquisition of a lock pick by a person whose profession does not require it; and (2) the delivery of a lock pick to a person whose profession and profession does not require it is punishable by arrest, imprisonment or fine – and (3) a lock pick expires, even if it was not the property of the client. [30] In response to your request, you do not need a security personnel permit to possess lock picking tools. A security personnel license is required for anyone who works or is employed as a locksmith. Department of Security Programs Department of Public Security and Attorney GeneralBox 9217 Stn Prov GovtVictoria BC V8W 9J1 Therefore, you do not need a security license to own lock selection tools as long as you only open your own locks and provide service to others. Unusually for an EU country, the possession of castle peaks is prohibited in Hungary on public property. [25] Lock cracking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating the components of the locking device without the original key. The manual pick gun (or pressure gun) was invented by Ely Epstein. [12] It usually has a trigger that creates movement that (like bump buttons) transmits sudden energy to the key pins, which transmit it to the driver`s pins, which only blows those pins, allowing the cylinder to rotate freely for a brief moment until the pen springs bring the pins back to their locking position.