Current:Home > MarketsFortress recalls 61,000 biometric gun safes after 12-year-old dies-LoTradeCoin
Fortress recalls 61,000 biometric gun safes after 12-year-old dies
View Date:2024-12-23 20:12:47
Roughly 61,000 biometric gun safes sold nationwide are being recalled after the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy, Fortress Safe and the U.S. Consumer Product Commission announced on Thursday.
The recalled safe poses a serious safety hazard and risk of death due to a programming feature that can allow unauthorized users, including children, access to the safe and its potential deadly contents, including firearms, according to the Naperville, Illinois-based company and regulatory agency.
CPSC noted a recent lawsuit alleging a 12-year-old boy had died from a firearm obtained from one of the safes. Additionally, the agency cited 39 incidents of safe owners reporting the product had been accessed by unpaired fingerprints.
Made in China, the recalled safes were sold at retailers nationwide including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander, Lowe's, Optics Planet, Rural King, Scheel's and Sportsman's Guide, as well as online at eBay and Amazon from January 2019 through October 2023 for between $44 and $290.
The recalled safes include the following model numbers: 11B20, 44B10, 44B10L, 44B20, 55B20, 55B30, 55B30G, 4BGGBP and 55B30BP.
Owners of the gun safes should stop using the biometric features, remove the batteries from the safe, and only use the key for the recalled safes. Owners can contact the company to get instructions on disabling the biometric feature and to receive a free replacement safe.
Fortress Safe can be reached at 833-588-9191 or online here or here. Consumers experiencing issues with a recall remedy can fill out a complaint form with the CPSC here.
The recall comes as an increasing number of young people are dying from gunfire. Researchers from University of Michigan reported in 2020 that firearms had overtaken vehicle crashes as the primary cause of death among American children and adolescents for the first time in 60 years of compiling numbers.
Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the researchers found a record 45,222 people died in the U.S. from firearm-related injuries in 2020, with 10,186, or 22.5%, ages 1 to 19.
The death count has been trending higher in recent years but surged during the pandemic, with gun sales increasing 64% in 2020 from the prior year and unintentional shooting deaths by children in 2020 spiking by almost a third, according to Everytown.
veryGood! (248)
Related
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Details to Meri Why She Can't Trust Ex Kody and His Sole Wife Robyn
- Horoscopes Today, January 9, 2024
- Virginia police pull driver out of burning car after chase, bodycam footage shows
- X Corp. has slashed 30% of trust and safety staff, an Australian online safety watchdog says
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- John Mulaney and Olivia Munn Make Their Red Carpet Debut After 3 Years Together
- US defends its veto of call for Gaza ceasefire while Palestinians and others demand halt to fighting
- Michigan finishes at No. 1, Georgia jumps to No. 3 in college football's final US LBM Coaches Poll
- Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
- Which NFL teams would be best fits for Jim Harbaugh? Ranking all six openings
Ranking
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- In stunning decision, Tennessee Titans fire coach Mike Vrabel after six seasons
- Adan Canto, known for his versatility in roles in ‘X-Men’ and ‘Designated Survivor,’ dies at 42
- Miami Dolphins sign Justin Houston and Bruce Irvin, adding depth to injured linebacker group
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- Melania Trump’s Mom Amalija Knavs Dead at 78
- Killing of Hezbollah commander in Lebanon fuels fear Israel-Hamas war could expand outside Gaza
- Last undefeated men's college basketball team falls as Iowa State sinks No. 2 Houston
Recommendation
-
Craig Melvin replacing Hoda Kotb as 'Today' show co-anchor with Savannah Guthrie
-
Selena Gomez Announces Social Media Break After Golden Globes Drama
-
Maryland lawmakers to wrestle with budgeting, public safety, housing as session opens
-
All the movies you'll want to see in 2024, from 'Mean Girls' to a new 'Beverly Hills Cop'
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
-
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for infection related to surgery for prostate cancer, Pentagon says
-
US and Chinese military officers resume talks as agreed by Biden and Xi
-
RFK Jr. backs out of his own birthday fundraiser gala after Martin Sheen, Mike Tyson said they're not attending