Biometric Lock Failures: How a
Your child could open your gun safe. A Nevada boy did, in January 2022. The gun sat in his dad's safe. The safe had a fingerprint lock. The 12-year-old died of a gunshot wound. Would your safe open for your child? By the end, you'll know how to test yours.
In 39 reports, an unsaved finger worked. Your child's finger could open yours too.
HealthDay covered the Fortress safe recall. The Nevada boy's dad owned that safe. The boy managed to open it.
His dad owned it under a year. The safe was almost brand new.
Your own safe might work like his. Nothing on it would ever warn you. Your child would find out first.
The reason came out much later.
His dad bought it in March 2021. The boy died in January 2022. Fortress recalled those safes in October 2023.
Owners believed the safe was set up. Any fingerprint at all still opened it.
Setup could look finished when it wasn't. No print had really been saved. The safe never checks the finger.
Fortress's recall covered over 60,000 safes. Yours could be one of them.
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His family sued Fortress and the seller. The seller, Scheels, denies the family's claims.
Other brands had the same flaw. Four makers recalled over 120,000 in 2024. BBRKIN's own recall was about 2,200 safes. A 6-year-old opened a BBRKIN safe.
Then Stack-On safes drew a 2025 warning. That warning covered about 183,000 safes. A Michigan 5-year-old got a gun out.
The child was wounded by that gun. Then the child needed surgery.
These children were only 5 and 6. A small finger opened each safe.
The government posted BBRKIN's recall online. BBRKIN sold these as gun safes. The page warns of a death risk.
You lock the gun to protect your child. That same safe can open for them. Locked and open look exactly alike. Looking at yours tells you nothing.
Never trust a safe you haven't tested. If anyone else opens your safe, it's unlocked.
Read the model number on your safe. Look up that model on CPSC.gov. Open any recall letter you set aside.
A dying battery makes your safe beep. A safe that checks nothing stays silent.
A working safe saves your print first. Each press gets matched to that print. No match, and the door stays shut. Your test proves that part works.
The CaraComp write-up on this goes deeper. That page lists what to test.
CBS News reported how the fix worked. Owners had to use the key and get a new safe. The fix never happened on its own.
Use only the key on any recalled safe. Never trust the light or the screen. Test it again, since settings can change.
The Nevada boy died at age 12. Children find what their parents lock up. Will your safe say no to yours?
You can't trust what the safe shows. You can trust another person's finger.
Take the gun out of the safe. Have someone never saved press the pad. If it opens, stop trusting that safe.
Your safe won't warn you it's open. Test it tonight, while your children sleep.
Every day we take one story like this and make it simple. Subscribe and tap the bell. Tomorrow's is free too. See you in today's briefing. If this helps, a like and a subscribe help us keep it coming.
