Quickly detachable gun-locks? (hypothetical)

[stonecoldsoldier]

In the State of California, all guns in your home must be locked up with at least ONE type of locking device right? So this has had me thinking for a while: why not make both the politicians and the gun-owners happy and invent a trigger-guard locking device that doesn't require a key or a combination, but "great pinching strength" to open? So that way if someone breaks into your house, all you have to do is "pinch" the lock off and you are ready to take him on!

 

[highorder]

Because old people with arthritis can't use them, [strike]so hungry lawyers suing on behalf of the ADA will bankrupt you.[/strike]

Edited. I lost my mind there for a minute and thought consumer products were covered in the scope of the ADA. My apologies.

Past that, I can't envision what you mean.

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

What I'm getting at is that this special kind of lock is (somewhat) child-proof and "locked", but at the same time, it can be taken off in a snap the moment you need it.

 

[blakeci]

if the technology ever gets there, I envision a thumbprint trigger lock that is small and unlocks quickly and reliably.

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

That's probably another 10 or 20 years off :banghead:
And also what if you, for some unfortunate reason, lost your thumb (or hand)? How would you be able get the lock off if the hand you need is either broken, amputated, or otherwise unable to reach the weapon? Not only that, what if you aren't in the house and your Wife/GF/housesitter is the only one in the house and it gets broken into? How is he/she going to defend herself using the gun that has a lock on it that only you can open?

 

[highorder]

What I'm getting at is that this special kind of lock is (somewhat) child-proof and "locked", but at the same time, it can be taken off in a snap the moment you need it.

And for arthritic hands with less strength than a 4yr. old?

Supposing is one thing; do you have a design in mind?

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

Well I"m no mechanical engineer (YET, I hope to pursue a college degree in it), but I'd imagine having the same lock for the elderly, but to open it, instead of "pinching" it, there would be a hidden folding trigger (like the ones you see on those super tiny Derringers) that you'd have to pull to get the lock off and render your weapon live.

 

[highorder]

I'm sorry I came off as a wet blanket.

I finished off my engineering degree a while back, and one of the most important things I learned was to ask the right questions.

Do please continue to think, design and dream. Innovation is a great thing.

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

It's ok, I CRAVE skepticism But still, like I said, these are just ideas... for now. But I will continue to think about this. We need to invent this device soon! Lives depend on it!

 

[highorder]

We need to invent this device soon! Lives depend on it!

WE need more political activism to repeal laws that put people in danger,
NOT invent crap to bend to the whims of politicians who would try to disarm us!

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

Well you're right in that sense, yes. But this hypothetical device wouldn't be a piece of "crap". It would satisfy the politicians during the time that they are in office. The moment they are out of office (and have someone we can trust in their place), we can discard these devices and always have access to our weapons.

 

[highorder]

You can't un-invent stuff once it's here, and to introduce it makes it legitimate, no?...

Aside from that, your business model dictates you go out of business at a predetermined point... Do I have that right?

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

Yeah, times change, and many things become obsolete and are replaced with newer and better things. It's my version of the cycle of life.

 

[gfpd707]

So if it is in a safe does it also need a lock on it?

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Because old people with arthritis can't use them, so hungry lawyers suing on behalf of the ADA will bankrupt you.

I'm fascinated by this statement. Where in the the world did you get the idea that people can sue you for making a product that isn't ADA compliant? I'll admit I haven't read all five titles in their entirety, but I'm pretty sure there isn't anything saying that consumer products must be ADA compliant.


stonecoldsoldier, the real trick for you is to get on the list mentioned here: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/fsdcertlist.php
If you can make a device they will approve, you will be in good shape. If they don't bless it, it doesn't count. Where I think you'll likely run into issues is the definition found in section 12087.6 which says "Firearms safety device" means a device other than a gun safe that locks and is designed to prevent children and unauthorized users from firing a firearm. (Emphasis mine). While you might be able to use hand strength for young children, that certainly wouldn't apply to "unauthorized users."

Here's more:

12088.2. (a) No later than January 1, 2000, the Attorney General shall commence development of regulations to implement a minimum safety standard for firearms safety devices and gun safes to significantly reduce the risk of firearms-related injuries to children 17 years of age and younger. The final standard shall do all of the following: (1) Address the risk of injury from unintentional gunshot wounds. (2) Address the risk of injury from self-inflicted gunshot wounds by unauthorized users. (3) Include provisions to ensure that all firearms safety devices and gun safes are reusable and of adequate quality and construction to prevent children and unauthorized users from firing the firearm and to ensure that these devices cannot be readily removed from the firearm or that the firearm cannot be readily removed from the gun safe except by an authorized user utilizing the key, combination, or other method of access intended by the manufacturer of the device.​

(Emphasis mine, again)

As you can see, the standard mentions children 17 and younger. 17-year-old "kids" have about the same hand strength as adults, so that would be a problem. Also, the part about key, combination, or other method... I'm not sure you could work that part out. Would "great pinching strength" qualify as another method to stop a 17-year-old child or other unauthorized person? I think that would be a hard sell.

Hope that helps.

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

I see what you mean Jorg, but I know that keyed and combination locks take time to unlock, and in the event of someone breaking into your house, too much time. I was just suggesting a rather simple way of keeping your guns locked, but at the same time having near-immediate access to them in the event of a life-threatening encounter.

 

[Frank Ettin]

In the State of California, all guns in your home must be locked up with at least ONE type of locking device right?...

Not exactly. One must adequately prevent unauthorized access, and one must buy or have an appropriate approved safety device or safe when buying a gun.

I'm not a fan of things like trigger locks, because they require that you fool around in the trigger guard, essentially violating rule 3. And of course the normal gun safe doesn't permit quick access.

Around here, we have our gun safe with most of our guns. But we also want to have a number of guns around quickly accessible in an emergency. So we have a number of lock boxes in strategic locations, each with a loaded gun, extra ammunition and a flashlight. These lock boxes have key pad type combinations that can be quickly operated by touch, without looking. The guns are thus quickly available to me and my wife, but not to unauthorized persons. This satisfies the California storage requirement.

 

[Pyzon]

Maybe 30 years ago I saw exactly what you described, a spring loaded trigger lock that took deliberate adult strength to squeeze the lock apart to remove it from the trigger guard.

Thought it was a great idea at the time, but since I did yet have a wife and kids put off buying any.

Now it is easy to see that something like that makes way too much sense, therefore it failed to catch on I suppose.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Up until 3 years ago I lived in the USSR of C. Most of my guns were locked in a gun safe (to protect against theives). But 2 of them were out and loaded (to protect against break-ins)...AND NOT LOCKED!!!

 

[smoketheresfire]

In the State of California, all guns in your home must be locked up with at least ONE type of locking device right? So this has had me thinking for a while: why not make both the politicians and the gun-owners happy and invent a trigger-guard locking device that doesn't require a key or a combination, but "great pinching strength" to open? So that way if someone breaks into your house, all you have to do is "pinch" the lock off and you are ready to take him on!

I think this is brilliant. If you could make it I would buy it now. While most guys on here can have their guns planted around the house for easy access, I have small children and that is NOT an option yet. Something like that would be great for my bedside gun. Once they are a bit older they will learn firearm safety, but until then it would be a great help to people in my situation.

 

[meef]

invent a trigger-guard locking device that doesn't require a key or a combination, but "great pinching strength" to open? So that way if someone breaks into your house, all you have to do is "pinch" the lock off and you are ready to take him on!

I actually have exactly that device that I purchased in the mid eighties because I had a houseful of youngsters at the time.

It's well made and of good quality. The degree of "pinch" necessary to get it off the trigger guard is adjustable with a small allen wrench and can be set from "quite easy" to "ohmigawd no freaking way!".

Don't know if they're still on the market.

 

[stonecoldsoldier]

It exists already?! I thought common sense wasn't "common" in California...

Do you still have it? Do you have a pic available?

 

[Patriotme]

I saw a great trigger lock (if such a thing exists) a year or two ago. It was huge, orange and had a 4 or 5 digit keypad. If the gun was handled you only had a certain amount of time to enter the combination before an alarm would sound. I cannot remember the manufacturer but it shouldn't be too hard to look up.

 

[meef]

It exists already?! I thought common sense wasn't "common" in California...

So who's in California??? Please... give me more credit.

Do you still have it? Do you have a pic available?

I do still have it somewhere in the piles of shooting stuff from yesteryear. I'll dig it up and post a pic.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Safety gadgets for defense guns don't sell. People just don't want them on their defense guns. Over the years I've seen several companies go bankrupt trying to make and sell these kinds of gizmos.

I doubt such a device would comply with CA law.

Cheers!