Faulty biometric locks prompt recall of thousands of gun safes in US

A U.S. consumer rights watchdog has ordered a recall of more than 119,000 biometrics-enabled safes used for storing valuables and weapons. One of the faulty safes was opened by a 6-year-old boy even though he was unauthorized to access the biometric lock.

In its recall order published Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Rights Protection Committee warned that the safes could be opened by users with unpaired fingerprints, posing a “serious injury hazard and risk of death if the safe is used to store firearms.” The agency received over 90 complaints.

The recall includes more than 24,000 safes designed by Missouri-based Machir, manufactured in China and sold in Walmart stores for just US$98. Other brands include Awesafe, which was ordered to replace about 60,000 units, and Bulldog, which will need to replace 33,500 safes over the risk of death. Another biometric safe brand BBRKIN was ordered to repair 2,200 of its safes. The manufacturers do not identify their biometric sensor suppliers on their websites.

Some of the safes were sold for up to US$400 across firearm stores and e-commerce sites such as Amazon and AliExpress.

The recall comes after the 2022 gunshot death of a 12-year-old child who accessed a weapon stored in a faulty biometric gun safe under the brand Fortress Safe. In October last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 61,000 biometric safes, pistol vaults and gun cabinets made by Fortress, Cabela’s, Gettysburg and Legend Range & Field.

Article Topics

biometric lock  |  biometrics  |  consumer electronics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  gun safes