Officials issued a recall for 61,000 gun safes this week, with failing safety features on the units being attributed to at least one death so far.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on October 19 that manufacturer Fortress Safe, based in Naperville, Illinois, is recalling its biometric gun safes.
Officials have reported that a faulty programming feature in the safe’s biometric locking mechanism can allow unauthorized users to access the potentially hazardous contents of the safes, including firearms. The faulty feature poses a serious safety hazard and potential risk of death.
The safes were sold in stores such as Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Scheel’s, as well as online retailers like Amazon and eBay. They were available nationwide between January 2019 and October 2023, ranging in price from $44 to $290.
A 12-year-old child was killed after gaining access to a firearm from one of the detective safes. The firearm reportedly discharged, and the boy sustained a fatal wound to the head, according to The New York Times.
Additionally, there have been 39 reported cases where individuals who did not have their fingerprints registered with the device could still unlock the safe, resulting in potential security risks.
The model numbers of the defective safes included in the recall are:
11B20 — Fortress Portable Safe with Biometric Lock
44B10 — Fortress Personal Safe with Pop-Up Door and Biometric Lock
44B10L — Legend Range & Field Personal Safe with Pop-Up Door and Biometric Lock
44B20 — Fortress Medium Personal Safe with Biometric Lock
55B20 — Fortress Quick Access Safe with Biometric Lock
55B30 — Fortress Large Quick Access Safe with Biometric Lock
55B30G — Gettysburg Large Quick Access Safe with Biometric Lock
4BGGBP — Cabela’s 4 Gun Safe with Biometric Lock
55B30BP — Cabela’s Biometric Personal Safe
Fortress advises consumers to discontinue using the affected units and remove their batteries immediately. Consumers can contact the company for a free replacement safe.
