Comments on: The Friday gathering: Ban bump keys edition

By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed The Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed The Alligators — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:03:28 +0000

Sounds a bit like closing the barn door after the horses are out…

By: Weekly Round Up: End of July | Green Panda Treehouse

Weekly Round Up: End of July | Green Panda Treehouse — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:35:30 +0000

[...] Ban bump keys Glblguy explains the issues and asks for your help. [...]

By: Lock Picker

Lock Picker — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:06:49 +0000

I pick locks as a hobby. It is a fun and difficult hobby to master. I have used bump keys in the past and as George mentioned it isn’t as easy as the media makes it seem. It took me over an hour to get a basic deadbolt open. That same lock I can pick in under 30 seconds. Personally I don’t see why people buy these things, you can make one in about 10 minutes with a small file.

By: Lynnae

Lynnae — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:37:44 +0000

Thanks for the link!

And thanks for the info on bump keys. Since we’re moving, we were going to replace the locks on our new house anyway. Thanks to your link, now I know what I should look for in a lock!

By: Mr. Cheap

Mr. Cheap — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:26:59 +0000

Thanks for the link! I’m not sure how much good banning the sale of bump keys will be (if I recall correctly, they’re pretty easy to make).

By: ChristianPF

ChristianPF — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:18:33 +0000

Thanks for the mention!! And thanks for sharing the info about the Bump keys – I had never heard of this before and it is definitely something I am glad I am now aware of…

By: Rob Yaggie

Rob Yaggie — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:25:15 +0000

George and Will

Thanks for your comment and for voicing your opinions on this effort.

A literal ban wouldnt make sense it isnt that easy. Let me tell you what does make sense to me and why Im doing this.

1) The minimum-wage-earner you mention at Home Depot right now hasnt had training to recognize a bump key and will make copies of them. A reputable locksmith wouldnt copy one. Support of this petition in great numbers will encourage manager to train their key cutters to look out for bump keys since it is an important issue to customers.

2) If you search on Google you will find many news stories that credit bump keys as the method of entry. Bump keys are really being used.

3) Just because this doesnt eliminate the tried-and-true way of breaking a window or kicking in a door doesnt mean it doesnt make sense. If someone specifically targets your home and wants in then they will get in. However, most burglaries are crimes of opportunity and protecting yourself from bump keys removes some of the opportunity. In the solutions I dont focus solely on bump keys but instead give higher level security tips. If people simply give more thought to a few of the easy free things they can do to improve their safety as a result of this effort then it makes sense and was worth doing.

4) Before putting it all on the line with this site I had to make sure this threat was real so I bought some bump keys and tried it. My order was delayed 3 weeks because of the backlog (a lot of people are buying these keys). And yes these do work and it isnt that hard.

Again George, I appreciate your views and Im sure a few others feel the same way.

I cant provide you with a perfect solution but Im dedicated to doing what I can.

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:11:52 +0000

Some great reads this week, thanks for sharing my article with your readers. I had seen a video going around via email about these bump keys, but appreciated you sharing more here. Scary stuff.

By: glblguy

glblguy — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:05:54 +0000

George, it’s not a ban per say, but more about making them illegal. Also, while I understand what you are saying, your argument contains a great deal of speculation. Do you have any articles or stats you’re basing your argument on?

Also, banning or making them illegal sure wouldn’t hurt anything, but only help.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:04:27 +0000

I’m sorry, but a ban won’t do any good. Then it will assure that only criminals can have them because they’re very simple to make with a blank and a file.

And as @George said – there are many other ways to break into a house. Bump keys aren’t the problem. People who want to break into houses are the problem. (And people who like to show off that they have a lot in the house worth breaking in for).