Liberty Safe gives passcode to federal authorities

[chibajoe]

Do we know if Liberty did this under subpoena? Or was it under a request for assistance from one of the federal LEAs involved?

Their official response:

In other words, if you buy a Liberty safe, expect them to give anybody in authority access to your safe at the drop of a hat.

 

[Bolt Head]

That's a wrap for "Liberty" safe.
If I owned one I'd be feeling nauseous right now. Slap a Bud Light sticker on it if you have one. LOL

 

[Forgotten]

Can a person change the locking device? Does other brand work with safes universal locking pad?

 

[dantheman]

Maybe I'm confused about this . Was Liberty Safe served with a Warrant or was the safe owner ? If Liberty was compelled by law then maybe I'll let them off the hook . It reads to me they were assisting LE and not forced .

 

[chibajoe]

Maybe I'm confused about this . Was Liberty Safe served with a Warrant or was the safe owner ? If Liberty was compelled by law then maybe I'll let them off the hook . It reads to me they were assisting LE and not forced .

They were not served, and were under no legal obligation to comply with the request. They will, apparently, open your safe to anybody who want's access, as long as the boot is shiny and big enough.

 

[hdfinder47]

Easy enough to break into a Liberty (and most others). Surprised they bothered to contact the manufacturer.

 

[GunRelated]

Easy enough to break into a Liberty (and most others). Surprised they bothered to contact the manufacturer.

While this may be true, as I said before, it is none of Liberty's business whether or not that safe gets opened and they should take that stance if they want to keep a good business model.

 

[Bigchillin83]

While this may be true, as I said before, it is none of Liberty's business whether or not that safe gets opened and they should take that stance if they want to keep a good business model.

Right your only job is to build a gun safe to protect people’s guns from any and all other people…it’s not like he was even guilty… “ innocent until proven guilty” I’d tell them to go kick rocks… the product isn’t mine, it now belongs to the buyer… it’s his, find your on way into it…. Bout like them requiring bump stock to turn in the names of people who bought them… naaah bro there was a fire at the ware house lol

 

[GunRelated]

Right your only job is to build a gun safe to protect people’s guns from any and all other people…it’s not like he was even guilty… “ innocent until proven guilty” I’d tell them to go kick rocks… the product isn’t mine, it now belongs to the buyer… it’s his, find your on way into it…. Bout like them requiring bump stock to turn in the names of people who bought them… naaah bro there was a fire at the ware house lol

Yep. To me, it shows how much they value their customers and their privacy, which doesn't seem to be very much.
They are catching a good bit of heat because of this though. Well deserved.
I read that they sold out to a Chinese company a few years back. Hopefully they go belly up and better companies that actually value their customers will fill the void.

 

[twinin]

Can a person change the locking device? Does other brand work with safes universal locking pad?

Yes, I changed the electronic lock on my Tractor Supply Winchester to a Mechanical. Not every lock works with every safe though

 

[GunRelated]

If I had the $, I'd look into Graffunder. They have stated, on Liberty's Instagram no less, that they do not keep any master code of any kind. They also make one hell of a safe.

Protect Your Valuables - Graffunder Safes & Vault Doors

Protect your valuables with secure safes and vault doors from Graffunder.

graffundersafes.com

 

[freedive10]

Liberty, the Bud Light of safes! Mad rush for rotational dials. Lol

 

[kenacp]

I have some S&G combo locks that are in good shape that were taken out of a bank. $40 ea

 

[Fugum]

While I completely agree with everyone's sentiments about Liberty's actions, I wonder if the target of the warrant would've rather they cut into, or pried open, his residential security container.

 

[GunRelated]

While I completely agree with everyone's sentiments about Liberty's actions, I wonder if the target of the warrant would've rather they cut into, or pried open, his residential security container.

Doesn't matter because he didn't get to make that decision, Liberty took the liberty of his choice out of the equation and took the liberty of opening it for them.

The irony of the company's name is just too much here

 

[Bolt Head]

Doesn't matter because he didn't get to make that decision, Liberty took the liberty of his choice out of the equation and took the liberty of opening it for them.

The irony of the company's name is just too much here

 

[Magdump]

This makes me sick to my stomach. I have both a Liberty and a Browning safe and I’d hate to think they’d freely give my info to the feds. I know you can change the combination but I don’t think you can change the secret override on the digital safes. I stayed away from digital for other reasons but I’m super glad I did now. I understand if they have a warrant they can demand access and ultimately even destroy a safe if the owner refuses to open it, but in any other situation (that we all know can happen) I’d like the option of being able to retain my 4th amendment rights any way possible, including making my personal effects inaccessible. Same with the cell phones nowadays. I won’t activate the fingerprint or facial recognition keys to my phone precisely for this reason.

 

[Manimal]

I wonder if they'll dredge for them where the boat sank, that one time?

 

[machinedrummer]

This I believe had nothing to do with being able to gain access into the safe. I'm sure that could have been done in less than 2 minutes with the right tools in which the alphabet bandits possess. This is all about signaling to all gun owners that there is no escape of the wrath that they are willing to impose on companies to roll over on your rights with threats. This has absolutely nothing to do with gaining access into that safe. They already had permission in the eyes of the law to gain access.

 

[thperez1972]

Appears they had a warrant to gain access to individuals stuff/ house/ possessions which intel’s the safe… but that doesn’t mean a warrant for the safe company to willfully and freely give up the code… there was no warrant for them… this is sad… they are trying to play the good guys in this situation… sorry I don’t see it that way, the warrant wasn’t addressed to “liberty safe” and should have went through the proper steps if they thought they could get a warrant for it….

You are correct. The search warrant only gives them the legal authority to look inside the safe. Compelling the code from the company would require a subpoena directed at the company. However, it looks like their company policy is such that they will ignore the need for a subpoena and help the police do what the judge said they were legally allowed to do.

Liberty should have waited for a subpoena for optics. That way they can say they were compelled. The reality is there are very few judges who wouldn't sign a subpoena in situations like this. In practice, all Liberty did was not slow down the process. I'm not defending Liberty. They've angered their customer base by volunteering what they would have eventually been compelled to do. In this case, their decision make it look like they chose to throw a customer under the bus.

Their official response:

View attachment 146576

In other words, if you buy a Liberty safe, expect them to give anybody in authority access to your safe at the drop of a hat.

While I completely agree with everyone's sentiments about Liberty's actions, I wonder if the target of the warrant would've rather they cut into, or pried open, his residential security container.

I would bet the farm that the target would have been given multiple opportunities to provide a non-destructive way to get into the safe. It's a pain to have to go through a company to get information, although it looks like Liberty has streamlined the process. And it would be a pain to force their way into the safe. The easiest solution from the perspective of the police would be to get access from the owner.