Electronic locks and EMP

No.

But most that I know of have manual overrides to get in if the power fails or the battery dies, or whatever.

rc

While I'm not a physicist, but I believe that if your close enough to a nuke that you get pulsed, opening your safe will be a low priority. Now if your talking about a pinch, or a Carrington event, who knows.

If the lock is UL rated (which it should be from a security standpoint), it will not have any override.

The good news is that most gun safes are built out of such thin steel that getting into them the old fashion way won't take long.

Might want to read this for a better answer.

http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission-7MB.pdf

leadchucker said:

Tell me more about the "manual override."

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Every safe I've ever seen that relies on electronics has a key backup. That's how you get into it when the batteries die.

Yeah most electronic safes I know of have a key override, usually underneath the electronic compartment. These safes are designed to be accessed quickly by the user, and not having an override would be a design flaw IMO.

Chances of an EMP device being used in our lifetime in absence of all out world war is slim to none. It is a Republican political fear tool used by one of those tools at a recent debate.

It requires significant resources to build and deploy. They have to be set off in orbit to work on a large scale. You'll lose a lot more than safe access when one goes off in this hemisphere. More likely, and with just minutes warning, is a solar flare. Those have happened a LOT over history, people just didn't know it. Basically an EMP for the whole planet and then some, those are even capable of damaging the atmosphere, even destroying it as we know it all together. Lots of nasty stuff operating with big numbers out in the cosmos, yes indeed. EMP weapons just mimic this on a smaller scale. Much, much smaller.

As far as I know, the US, maybe Russia, and if either of those two, definitely China, has an EMP weapon. China stole all our stuff when Los Alamos went up in flames several years ago --they definitely got our new stuff and neutron bomb plans. Some nasty stuff we don't even know about too.

Brings up a good point though, the safe guy here thinks you can get into them the old fashioned way and he's probably right --but how many old fashioned tools do you have laying around? Especially quality ones like a fire axe or hooligan tool? Most of my stuff plugs in or runs on batteries.

not having an override would be a design flaw IMO.

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My AMSEC has an electronic lock, and no keyed backup. I consider it an extra security feature, not a flaw. If the batteries go dead, I just replace them.

I had a conversation with a locksmith awhile back. EMP aside, his comment was that the vast majority of calls he'd gotten involved electronic locks.

I'll avoid them. YMMV

Keizer said:

If the batteries go dead, I just replace them.

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If the batteries are dead, how do you get it open?

If the batteries are dead, how do you get it open?

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Most of the UL rated electronic locks have fairly sophisticated systems that assist the user to figure out what the lock is doing. One of these features will alert the user to a low battery condition. Unless the safe sits for long periods of time, the lock will tell you when it's time to change the batteries.

It doesn't matter if you change them when the lock tells you to, or if you wait for them to go all the way dead. The UL rated locks have the batteries in the keypad, produce their own power, or have a power port on the pad.

Many of the non rated locks have batteries located inside the safe itself. Some of these locks will also do crazy things like revert back to a factory default combination when power is lost. The locks also lack other features that would allow them to be easily bypassed without using the combination or key.

It is rare for a home burglar to attack a safe, so either type of lock will usually suffice. If you're trying to keep out your kids and their friends, I would strongly suggest a UL rated lock. There are videos online giving instructions on how to bypass these locks without leaving any trace of forced entry.

Chances of an EMP device being used in our lifetime in absence of all out world war is slim to none. It is a Republican political fear tool used by one of those tools at a recent debate.

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I think you see Republicans under every bed.

Get a better small handgun safe that is that is dial combination. Then purchase a larger safe for longuns that has either a dial combination or an electronic combination (with key override). Place the override key in the more secure small safe.

I think the US is more likely to have an EMP attack now then during the cold war. Iran does not care about MAD but does want the Great Satan gone. One perfectly place (hundreds of miles high up) nuclear weapon would make the US a third world nation without directly killing anyone. It could be delivered by ship off the US coast with little or no time for reaction from the military. Some estimates say 60 to 80 percent of us would be dead within one year from starvation and disease. You can plan to survive or you can trust your govenment to save you. Your choice.

Suggested reading: http://www.empactamerica.org/about_emp.php

This says nothing about the 100% probability of a naturally occuring natural EMP from the sun. Just a matter of time.

And many beds have a Republican (or 2) on top of each bed.. Democrats are the same way only after your guns, money and freedoms much moreso than the (R)s but many times had to tell who is more dangerous. If you dont believe that just look at a couple of the 'news media' chosen front runners for the election to be held in about 11 months.