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by peterwwillis 3363 days ago
In many US states, having a lockpick set without being a licensed locksmith is illegal, and you can be charged with a felony.

However, no police officer would ever identify a few bump keys on your keychain....

2 comments

Don't be so sure! I read the SF Police blotter and see plenty of people arrested for suspicion of auto theft because they had "shaved keys" with them.

Depending on how saavy the local police are, you may get more attention then yoi want if the cops look close enough at your keys.

You can't be arrested for suspicion alone, and bump keys aren't illegal according to California statute, and I didn't find anything about local statues either. So unless they have a warrant out for them, those people are going to walk free. (IANAL)

Also... cars don't use pins, so they wouldn't have been using a bump key for a car, but possibly a jiggler or a blank for impressioning.

I'd really like to see the evidence for this. As I mentioned in another comment, from what I've read, possession of lockpicking tools are legal virtually everywhere in the USA, as long as one is not intending to commit a crime with them.

Please see:

http://toool.us/laws.html

It says it right there on the site! Did you read it??

"Illinois infers from the possession of a key designed for lock bumping an intent to commit a felony." Mississippi says a concealed pick set is prima facie evidence of intent. Similar for Ohio, Nevada, and Virginia. Tennessee code might actually make them illegal outright.