I picked up a new hobby during the quarantine -lock picking. I was giving an Amazon gift card so I picked up a book and few tools. Over time I was able able to fiddle with some old padlocks and got them open. It’s a very meditative hobby. Nothing can be forced.
Just for grins and giggles I thought I’d try the lock on my front door. It’s nothing special as far as locks go. It’s about average, probably like the one on your house. It took me, a rank amateur, five seconds to unlock it.
Here’s the thing. I always could bypass a lock in a matter of seconds. When I was a firefighter I took a lot of forcible entry courses. We had a fire in an office building one time. Every door was locked, but I popped them open so quickly that the officer coming behind me thought they must have been unlocked. Of course, I had a tool and was not afraid to make noise and do a bit of damage.
Locks are to keep honest people honest. The deadbolts on my house are there to slow a house invasion down just enough for me to get my gun.
Don’t even get me started on gated communities. The vast majority of them are just security theater. If there are kids in those communities they always have paths around gates and locks. Often there are back entrances to those communities left unlocked.
What’s more important than locks is the sort of place you live in. Bad neighborhoods are called bad for a reason.
-Sixbears
One of my hobbies too. You are quite correct that it is relaxing and meditative. Love to pick padlocks old and new
ReplyDeleteI'm digging out old locks out of the basement that I've lost the keys too.
DeleteI never really thought if it like that. Often times, where I’ve lived, we left everything unlocked in case a neighbor needed something. If we did lock something, most folks knew where to find the key. Like you said- where you live.
ReplyDeleteI probably can leave my doors unlocked here still, but there are enough people from away that I lock it now -for what it's worth.
DeleteWell at least now you know what style locks are best for your safety.
ReplyDeleteI have the typical 25 year old vintage door and window locks. In other words a 12 inch pry bar and you are in in 15 seconds. My plans are to replace the front door with a steel door and steel jam and have it properly installed. Should withstand 6-8 good kicks before it fails. Hopefully enough time to clear my head prepare to defend ourselves.
Right now I've almost no faith in locks at all. You've realized that the door is often the weakest point. I've also seen very good doors installed so poorly that I wondered how they didn't just fall out of the building in day to day use. A lot of houses constructed during housing booms have poorly installed doors. It takes time to do a good install and the work is invisible when done. Often they'd just settle for a install where the door looks good enough but has no backing in the jam.
DeleteAh the old saying. Good fences make good neighbours and bad neighbours make good compost....
ReplyDeleteI had to chuckle!
DeleteThis might interest you then. It’s a YouTube channel called
ReplyDeleteLockPickingLawyer
Already found it. He's good. Thanks for the heads up though as there's lots of good security stuff there for everyone.
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