60,000 gun safes recalled after shooting death

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of more than 60,000 biometric gun safes because of a programming feature that “can allow unauthorized access to the safes.”

At least one person has died, according to the CPSC.

The CPSC said there have been 39 incidents of consumers reporting that their safes have been accessed by unauthorized fingerprints.

“Consumers can believe they have properly programmed the biometric feature when in fact the safe remains in the default to open mode, which can allow unauthorized users, including children, to access the safe to remove hazardous contents, including firearms,” the CPSC said in an announcement.

CPSC said consumers should immediately stop using the biometric feature, remove batteries from the safe and only use the key for the recalled safes.

Fortress Safe, the company behind the biometric gun safes, announced a recall “due to serious injury hazard and risk of death” and noted one death had been reported.

Fortress Safe said the safes can be opened by “unauthorized users, posing a serious injury hazard and risk of death.”

“The recalled gun safes are portable lock boxes, personal safes, pistol vaults and gun cabinets with brand names Fortress, Cabela’s, Gettysburg and Legend Range & Field,” Fortress Safe said.

Model numbers of safes included in the recall are available on Fortress Safe’s website.

“The recalled safes were sold at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Scheel’s, Sportsman’s Guide, Optics Planet, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander, Rural King, Lowe’s and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and Ebay.com from January 2019 through October 2023 for between $44 and $290,” the CPSC said in a statement.