by Unless you are still stuck in the Nevada desert without electricity trying to make your way out from Burning Man, you have heard about the controversy surrounding Liberty Safes and their cooperation with the FBI. I could go into all the details but since you can read about it many places I won’t.
Liberty Safe was purchased by Monomoy Capital Partners back in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. As the Open Secrets website makes clear, virtually all of their political contributions go to Democrats. Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA notes that some of the recent recipients of their largesse have been Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). This is according to data from the Federal Elections Commission.
Suffice it to say but Liberty Safes has a PR nightmare on their hands. They are doing damage control. They say they have “revised their policies around cooperation with law enforcement” and that customers can request that their “access codes” be expunged from the Liberty Safe database. While this has been compared to the Bud Light fiasco, I think it is worse. It was an abuse of the customer’s personal privacy. People in the 2A community have long memories. They will forgive a firearm that is recalled for bugs but I don’t think they will forgive this so readily.
So on to the memes. I found some on forums and some with a Google search. If you have more, feel free to post them in the comments.
Note: The warrant was a search warrant of the person’s home and possession. It was not a subpoena or warrant issued directly to Liberty Safe.
I think the CEO of Liberty Safe probably feels the same way as the social media guy. His name, and I kid you not, is Joe Fail.
So, instead of the Feds getting a warrant, taking the time to get the codes and opening a safe with no damage to the safe, they’ll just show up with some heavy tools, with maybe the local fire department to help and they’ll peel open the safe in short order.
One way, the owner of the safe can use it afterwards. The other way, a safe that probably cost north of a grand has been rendered into scrap.
Does anyone seriously believe that the cops, local or Federal, are not going to get into a safe?
I think this goes beyond whether law enforcement can get in a safe. I don’t think there is any doubt that they could or would. However, by maintaining a database of access codes or even having a master access codes, this can be hacked and sold on the Dark Web. Even if it was on a stand-alone computer what is to stop a disgruntled employee from putting it on thumbnail drive.
Furthermore, how many of the thousands who bought a Liberty Safe knew that the lock mechanism could be subverted using the access code?
I would much rather sacrifice a safe than have police circumvent my 4th Amendment constitutional right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,[a] against unreasonable searches and seizures” by getting an access code from the safe company because they asked. I want them to go before a judge and show probable cause!
Mr. Richardson, you have it exactly right. Get a warrant.
G-d knows that means little enough these days when “probable cause” seems to mean “because we said so”. The FISA laws are breached without consequences, “sneak and peek” warrants are authorized, and anyone familiar with the Snowden, Assange, or Twitter files should have little faith in the 4th Amendment protection.
That being said, a deal with a private company is still a deal. I would never buy a safe from them, and I’d recommend anyone buying a large safe to get a mechanical safe and have the combination changed.
I agree with you 100% on mechanical locks. They have always been my preference.
While the chance of an EMP attack is slim, I read Bill Forstchen’s “One Second After”! I want to be able to get in my safe regardless of power or fried electronics.
I don’t approve of what Liberty Safe did but the real problem here is the FBI. If they were a legitimate law enforcement agency, it would be legitimate to cooperate with them. But they are just the political police striking at regime opponents. Note that this was one aspect of the J6 witch hunt. Another aspect played out recently in OK with the ATF doing a raid on a local school teacher, pastor and gun dealer who might have had something do to with J6. AFAIK, Liberty Safe wasn’t involved in this one but it was just as egregious of a violation of the 1A.
Instead of or in addition to boycotting Liberty Safe, we should adopt total non-cooperation with Federal law enforcement. Jury nullification on any and all Federal criminal cases (we are going to have to let some legitimate bad guys loose), refusal to notify the Federales about anything, pressure on local law enforcement to not cooperate, shunning of agents and their families. It is going to take some people willing to go to jail instead of becoming a coerced informant.
On the Oklahoma raid, the teacher and preacher wasn’t a J6 guy. He was selling as a licensed dealer at local gun shows and ATF took exception to that. They were intent on browbeating him into giving up his FFL. Once he said he’d do that at the point of a gun, they were all sweetness and light. Bastards.
I don’t disagree with you regarding Federal law enforcement which acting more like the Stasi than anything else. It pains me to even say that as my mom worked as a cryptanalyst for the FBI during WW2 and my first cousin Clair was a FBI Special Agent starting in the 1980s. She has been retired for a few years now.
Changing the combination on a mechanical dial lock is an easy process. The tool required, called a change key, is available on Amazon for $24, with instructions. Pick out three numbers you would both remember and could maneuver to under stress, and you’re all set.
Concerning the topic at hand. The Bill of Rights was included specifically to limit the government’s abilities. Let’s not diminish that concept in any manner.
4th Amendment as you said. Not opening mine without a warrant, and no, nobody has the ‘codes’ for mine… 🙂