NIST device helps ensure gunlock performance

In recent years, many states have enacted safety laws in order to help gun owners reduce the chance of accidental shootings or inappropriate use of their firearms. These laws often either require or encourage the use of gunlocks, but there is currently no standard for evaluating the effectiveness of such devices. This leads to a potential problem where ineffective gunlocks may be sold to consumers.

To help solve the problem, researchers in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) have invented a system that tests cable gunlocks to ensure at least some minimal level of performance. The work has been carried out in conjunction with ASTM International, which has been developing a performance standard for firearm locks so that the gunlock industry and consumers have a consistent tool for evaluating these protective devices.

The NIST system is a prototype test fixture that subjects cable gunlocks to impacts at certain speeds and angles, allowing researchers to assess how well they hold up to abuse. ASTM has adopted the NIST test method as part of its draft performance standard, ASTM Subcommittee F15.53 "Non-Integral Firearm Locking Devices."

The draft standard is in the final stages of the ASTM approval process.

For more information, contact Kirk Rice, 301-975-8071, kirk.rice@nist.gov.

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