Comment by gtirloni

6 years ago

> and possession of burglary tools

Is that a crime? Like picks and stuff?

Depends on the state. I believe in some states it's legal so long as you're not actively engaged in a crime, but becomes illegal if you get caught with them in a criminal act, even if they weren't directly related to the criminal act?

Edit: People REALLY like answering this question, apparently. :D

  • I do locksport and breaching for fun (in a safe, legal manner) and I live here in NY.

    Certain tools only have a purpose for forced entry, like the shove it tool and halligan bar. If you are caught with such tools and are not a first responder, you will be treated as a burglar and in all likelihood successfully prosecuted.

    • It seems odd. A halligan bar is basically a hybrid between a large crow bar and a pick axe. Seems strange for a sort of multi-tool to be illegal when its individual components are just fine (and equally up to the breaking -> entering job)

      1 reply →

Oh yeah the law has all sorts of things to increase charges.

In some jurisdictions having a crowbar while “committing a crime” turns the crowbar into a burglary tool. Better yet: having a burglary tool can count as evidence you were committing a crime (see an interesting bit of logic there?)

Or CA using possession of condoms as evidence women were sex workers. Immediately resulting in a reduction in use of protection (remember the anti-prostitution laws are all in the interests of “public safety”). Literally the interpretation of reality chosen was one where if a woman in a specific location had a condom they were automatically a sex worker, carrying evidence of sex work.

That varies by state and circumstance.

In some states it's legal to own them, but if you are caught using them or being somewhere you shouldn't be while carrying them it can be tacked onto your charges.

Other states it's totally illegal to own or carry them.

In some states I feel like they just thought “well we can’t just keep letting these guys off when we catch them before actually picking the lock” so they made the lock picks illegal.

In most states, unless you are a locksmith, yes it is a crime.