Suck My Glock
Member
So here's the story (in so far as I understand it),...Feds get a warrant AGAINST THE SUSPECT to search their property, including the contents of their Liberty safe. The feds contact Liberty Safe Company, mention they have a warrant to search this particular safe, and requests (not demand or compel by court order) that Liberty provide the access code to the digital combination lock to allow the feds to access the safe. Liberty complies willingly and without coercion, giving the feds the necessary codes.
Here is the moral dilemma: if the warrant were targeted at Liberty, compelling them to comply and provide the access codes, certainly no one would argue that Liberty was wrong to do so. HOWEVER,...the warrant in hand at the time of this request compelled ONLY the suspect or other residents perhaps living at the target premises. Liberty has/had no obligation to provide access codes to the safe of their customer,...and should Liberty even possess such codes after custody of the product transfers to the customer? Isn't that a liability rather than a feature?
While perhaps no one here has any reason to fear the feds executing a search warrant on their gun safe, this would seem to make a strong argument for NOT getting the electronic/digital combo dial systems, regardless of manufacturer. And there's no way I'm ever buying a Liberty product ever, that's for damned sure. The feds are certain to get into the gun safe one way or another, so one might say there is no point to resisting such a "request" by law enforcement. But the principle involved is always paramount. Authorities must ALWAYS be made to work anything and everything, and NEVER given an even break.
Here is the moral dilemma: if the warrant were targeted at Liberty, compelling them to comply and provide the access codes, certainly no one would argue that Liberty was wrong to do so. HOWEVER,...the warrant in hand at the time of this request compelled ONLY the suspect or other residents perhaps living at the target premises. Liberty has/had no obligation to provide access codes to the safe of their customer,...and should Liberty even possess such codes after custody of the product transfers to the customer? Isn't that a liability rather than a feature?
While perhaps no one here has any reason to fear the feds executing a search warrant on their gun safe, this would seem to make a strong argument for NOT getting the electronic/digital combo dial systems, regardless of manufacturer. And there's no way I'm ever buying a Liberty product ever, that's for damned sure. The feds are certain to get into the gun safe one way or another, so one might say there is no point to resisting such a "request" by law enforcement. But the principle involved is always paramount. Authorities must ALWAYS be made to work anything and everything, and NEVER given an even break.
