(PatriotWise.com) — The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) last Thursday announced the recall of over 60,000 biometric gun safes made in China due to a programming feature that allows “unauthorized access,” ABC News reported.
According to the CPSC, there have been 39 incidents of gun safe owners reporting that the safes were opened by “unpaired fingerprints,” and at least one person, a 12-year-old boy, is believed to have been killed by a firearm that was improperly obtained, according to a recent lawsuit.
In its recall announcement, the CPSC said owners of the gun safes may believe that the biometric feature has been “properly programmed” when, in reality, the safe is still in the “default to open mode,” meaning any unauthorized user, including children, can gain access to the firearms stored within.
The CPSC called on owners to stop using the biometric programming feature immediately and remove the batteries from the safe. Those owning the recalled safes should only use the key to open them.
According to Fortress Safe, the distributor of the recalled biometric safes, the recall is “due to serious injury hazard and risk of death.” Fortress reported that the safes can be opened by “unauthorized users.”
Among the recalled items are personal safes, portable lock boxes, pistol vaults, and gun cabinets sold under the brand names Fortress, Cabela’s, Legend Range & Field, and Gettysburg.
The model numbers of the safes included in the recall can be found on the Fortress Safe website.
The safes were sold at multiple sporting retailers, including Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander, Lowe’s, and Sportsman’s Guide. They have also been sold online since January 2019 on Amazon and eBay.
The biometric safes were manufactured in China and distributed by Xpedition LLC, which does business as Fortress Safe.
Copyright 2023, PatriotWise.com
