Guelph Lock Bumping

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Guelph Lock Bumping

Recently there has been a “buzz” around the Internet and on some news broadcasts warning people that their homes and properties are in danger from the rediscovery of a lock opening technique known as “bumping”. Here is what you are not being told.

Bumping is a technique for opening a locked cylinder that has been known to locksmiths for many years, it does work, however at a very low success rate. Most practicing locksmiths would not waste their time using this method, because there are easier, more successful methods available to open or bypass most locks or lock cylinders.

Of course locksmiths are not who most people should be concerned about.

The “buzz” around the Internet seems to have been created by a couple of videos that purportedly show a young girl with no experience opening a typical house lock using this method. There are also sites that are selling “bump keys” and instructions on how to use them.

So should the property owner be concerned with this “new” apparent risk?

If we examine how the typical thief who would be breaking into your home or other property behaves the answer is probably no. They typically do not spend a lot of time, they do not like to be exposed for a long time, and they do not like to make noise.

The time it takes to “bump” a lock is not predictable, it would also require working with what do appear to be tools in an exposed area for more time than they would like.

As for the tools required, a key blank cut a certain way, and that fits your particular brand of lock is needed. Contrary to what is being said in television and print media as well as online, key blanks are not readily available to the general public, then they would have to know how to cut the key correctly and identify the exact type of blank that will fit your lock. There are more different brands of door hardware in use than these reports lead you to believe,

Ask almost any professional locksmith and they will verify that all of this is true.

If you are still concerned, and you might be justified, because “bumping” a lock is possible, just not practical, that professional locksmith can also recommend locks or lock cylinders that cannot be “bumped” or for that matter cannot be picked either.

So back to the original question, is this a risk you should be overly concerned with, I will stick with my original answer, no.