North Carolina Laws on Lock Pick Sets
- North Carolina strictly regulates the possession of lock pick sets.pad lock image by Albo from Fotolia.com
Lock pick sets help people enter buildings or vehicles if they cannot locate the key to a door. North Carolina, however, specifically makes it illegal to possess a lock pick set if used for the "purpose of housebreaking." In 2010, the North Carolina laws concerning lock pick sets cover two areas: burglary and motor vehicle theft. - General Statute 14-55 stipulates that people can be found guilty of "possession of burglary tools" if they possess "without lawful excuse, any picklock ... or other implement of housebreaking" and the police find them in any building with the intent to commit a felony or larceny. The burden of proof rests on the state to prove that the defendant had "no lawful excuse" for possessing the picklock, however, rather than the defendant having to prove he had a legal right to possess it.
- The second subsection of General Statute 14-56.4 states that a person possessing a "manipulative key" or other lock-picking device and intending to commit a felony or larceny "of a motor-propelled conveyance" risks a guilty verdict when prosecuted for this offense. The statute defines a "manipulative key" as something other than a key that someone might use "in a vehicle key way to operate a lock." The third subsection of General Statute 14-56.4 also makes it illegal anyone to buy or sell a "manipulative key or device."
- Violating general statute 14-55 counts as a felony offense in the state of North Carolina. The state views a violation of any part of general statute 14-56.4 as misdemeanor offense, unless it's a "second or subsequent violation," which would bump it to felony status. North Carolina state law does provide exemptions from violations of general statute 14-56.4, if the person possessing a lock pick set works as a new or used car dealer, a locksmith, an employee of a towing service, a car rental agent or a law enforcement officer.
