Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-11T01:00:04Z

PsychoBreak: Added companies affected

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Liberty Safe, Winchester, Browning, Tractor Supply, Cannon, Remington
|Status=Active
|Product=Safes, Home Safes, Gun Safes, Residential Security Containers
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Deceptive Advertising
|Description="Safes" are not real safes, self-certification, deceptive language, performative security features, exaggerating capacity by technicality, etc.
}}Products referred to as "gun safes" are usually not "true safes" (UL 687)<ref>https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ul/ul687ed152011?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref>, but "residential security containers" (UL 1037).<ref>https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ul/ul1037ed2016</ref> The distinction comes from the certification/rating system established by Underwriter’s Laboratories, an independent testing company.<ref name=":0">https://www.ul.com/services/anti-theft-device-testing-and-certification</ref> This misleading language is just one of the multiple deceptive advertising practices used in the residential gun safe industry.

==Background==
{{Ph-I-B}}Underwriter's Laboratories certifications available include (in ascending order of security levels): UL RSC Level I, UL RSC Level II, UL TL-15, UL TL-30, and UL TL-30x6. TLTR-variant ratings are also available. UL testing involves one or more people using specific sets of tools to gain physical access to a safe in a certain amount of time.<ref>https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/2/#security-ratings</ref><ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/testing-process-for-ul-rated-safes/</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20151029154039/http://ulstandards.ul.com/standard/?id=1037</ref>

Other security ratings may be seen on products such as AmSec's B-Class and C-Class<ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/burglary-ratings-explained/</ref>. AmSec claims the standards are set by the "insurance industry" but does not provide links to any published documentation that the consumer could use to verify what B-Class and C-Class actually mean. Additionally, unknown security ratings could be based on factors that do not have bearing in real-life scenarios that the consumer expects their product to perform. (Example: AmSec's product NARCO3824 is B-Class and the product description uses phrases like "it’s extremely difficult to break in or tamper with". However, NARCO3824 is 11 gauge steel which can be cut with handheld tools.<ref>https://youtu.be/NEeS5nCh5e8?si=OZs1R56HNGLp1T5S&t=195</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMXa1QImM54&t=134s</ref>)

The existence of a "rating" or "standard" does not guarantee a product's performance. The Titanic's lifeboats were "to regulation", yet ~1,500 people still lost their lives. It is up to the consumer to understand what a product's claim actually means, and how that affects the attributes the consumer wants for a product.

== Companies Affected ==

* Liberty Safe
* Cannon Safe
* Browning Safes
* American Security
* Winchester Safes
* Remington ''(is it just Remington? Can not find a website that is not a brand licensee)''
* Stack-On
* Cabela's

==[Incident]==
{{Ph-I-I}}Incidents to expand on:

*Fire rating (self-certification, fire-safe does not mean heat/steam/firehose safe)
*Performative features (internal hinges, showy linkage, fancy descriptions of bad locks)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7X8crrn0Kg</ref>
*Detrimental features (door gaps, handle location, electronics, moisture-absorbing material, etc.)
*Made in America=assembled in America which obfuscates the quality of parts (usually the locks)
*Deceptive gun # capacity
*Detrimental or poor features presented as positives (door handle location, gauge thickness) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI</ref>
*Containers with security so poor that it cannot withstand a theft attack from a child (amazon desk safes)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrSWXFXvlE</ref><br />
ToDo:

*Embed side-by-side snapshots? (snapshot the fire-rating of a product from the company's website, next to a picture of that safe with rusted-out guns inside from surviving a fire)
*Link to the Liberty Safe article on consumerrights.wiki
*Create a guide about how to navigate the above incidents?

==Key Takeaway==
Industry-wide advertising practices mislead the consumer into thinking safes perform better than they actually do.

==Further Reading==
Safe comparison guide/web-guide on physical asset security:

*[https://gunsafereviewsguy.com Honest Gun Safe Reviews]

Videos of people breaking into safes:

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JmnG9R9S_k
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI

Related consumerrights.wiki articles:

*[[Liberty Safe]]
*[[Ring]]

==References==
{{reflist}}<ref name=":0" />{{Ph-I-C}}
<references />

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-06T18:42:40Z

PsychoBreak: Minor edits to all sections

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Liberty Safe, Winchester, Browning, Tractor Supply, Cannon, Remington
|Status=Active
|Product=Safes, Home Safes, Gun Safes, Residential Security Containers
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Deceptive Advertising
|Description="Safes" are not real safes, self-certification, deceptive language, performative security features, exaggerating capacity by technicality, etc.
}}Products referred to as "gun safes" are usually not "true safes" (UL 687)<ref>https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ul/ul687ed152011?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref>, but "residential security containers" (UL 1037).<ref>https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ul/ul1037ed2016</ref> The distinction comes from the certification/rating system established by Underwriter’s Laboratories, an independent testing company.<ref name=":0">https://www.ul.com/services/anti-theft-device-testing-and-certification</ref> This misleading language is just one of the multiple deceptive advertising practices used in the residential gun safe industry.

==Background==
{{Ph-I-B}}Underwriter's Laboratories certifications available include (in ascending order of security levels): UL RSC Level I, UL RSC Level II, UL TL-15, UL TL-30, and UL TL-30x6. TLTR-variant ratings are also available. UL testing involves one or more people using specific sets of tools to gain physical access to a safe in a certain amount of time.<ref>https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/2/#security-ratings</ref><ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/testing-process-for-ul-rated-safes/</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20151029154039/http://ulstandards.ul.com/standard/?id=1037</ref>

Other security ratings may be seen on products such as AmSec's B-Class and C-Class<ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/burglary-ratings-explained/</ref>. AmSec claims the standards are set by the "insurance industry" but does not provide links to any published documentation that the consumer could use to verify what B-Class and C-Class actually mean. Additionally, unknown security ratings could be based on factors that do not have bearing in real-life scenarios that the consumer expects their product to perform. (Example: AmSec's product NARCO3824 is B-Class and the product description uses phrases like "it’s extremely difficult to break in or tamper with". However, NARCO3824 is 11 gauge steel which can be cut with handheld tools.<ref>https://youtu.be/NEeS5nCh5e8?si=OZs1R56HNGLp1T5S&t=195</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMXa1QImM54&t=134s</ref>)

The existence of a "rating" or "standard" does not guarantee a product's performance. The Titanic's lifeboats were "to regulation", yet ~1,500 people still lost their lives. It is up to the consumer to understand what a product's claim actually means, and how that affects the attributes the consumer wants for a product.

==[Incident]==
{{Ph-I-I}}Incidents to expand on:

*Fire rating (self-certification, fire-safe does not mean heat/steam/firehose safe)
*Performative features (internal hinges, showy linkage, fancy descriptions of bad locks)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7X8crrn0Kg</ref>
*Detrimental features (door gaps, handle location, electronics, moisture-absorbing material, etc.)
*Made in America=assembled in America which obfuscates the quality of parts (usually the locks)
*Deceptive gun # capacity
*Detrimental or poor features presented as positives (door handle location, gauge thickness) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI</ref>
*Containers with security so poor that it cannot withstand a theft attack from a child (amazon desk safes)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrSWXFXvlE</ref><br />
ToDo:

*Embed side-by-side snapshots? (snapshot the fire-rating of a product from the company's website, next to a picture of that safe with rusted-out guns inside from surviving a fire)
*Link to the Liberty Safe article on consumerrights.wiki
*Create a guide about how to navigate the above incidents?

== Key Takeaway ==
Industry-wide advertising practices mislead the consumer into thinking safes perform better than they actually do.

==Further Reading==
The original author of the article above recommends the following web-guide for more thorough reading into the above article's subject matter (physical asset security through theft protection, fire protection, information security, home hardening, common myths, etc.):

*([https://gunsafereviewsguy.com Honest Gun Safe Reviews])

Videos of people breaking into safes:

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JmnG9R9S_k
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI

Related consumerrights.wiki articles:

*[[Liberty Safe]]
*[[Ring]]

==References==
{{reflist}}<ref name=":0" />{{Ph-I-C}}
<references />

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-06T18:20:59Z

PsychoBreak: Expanded Background and Furhter Reading sections

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Liberty Safe, Winchester, Browning, Tractor Supply, Cannon, Remington
|Status=Active
|Product=Safes, Home Safes, Gun Safes, Residential Security Containers
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Deceptive Advertising
|Description="Safes" are not real safes, self-certification, deceptive language, performative security features, exaggerating capacity by technicality, etc.
}}Products usually referred to as "gun safes" are usually not real safes<ref>https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ul/ul687ed152011?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref>, but "residential security containers" (Standard UL 1037).<ref>https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/2/#security-ratings</ref><ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/testing-process-for-ul-rated-safes/</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20151029154039/http://ulstandards.ul.com/standard/?id=1037</ref> The distinction comes from the certification/rating system established by Underwriter’s Laboratories, an independent testing company.<ref name=":0">https://www.ul.com/services/anti-theft-device-testing-and-certification</ref> This is just one of the multiple deceptive advertising practices used in the residential gun safe industry.

==Background==
{{Ph-I-B}}Underwriter's Laboratories certifications available include (in ascending order of security levels): UL RSC Level I, UL RSC Level II, UL TL-15, UL TL-30, and UL TL-30x6. TLTR-variant ratings are also available. UL testing involves one or more people using specific sets of tools to gain physical access to a safe in a certain amount of time.

Other security ratings may be seen on products such as AmSec's B-Class and C-Class<ref>https://americansecuritysafes.com/burglary-ratings-explained/</ref>. AmSec claims the standards are set by the "insurance industry" but does not provide links to any published documentation that the consumer could use to verify what B-Class and C-Class actually mean. Additionally, unknown security ratings could be based on factors that do not have bearing in real-life scenarios that the consumer expects their product to perform. (Example: AmSec's product NARCO3824 is B-Class and the product description uses phrases like "it’s extremely difficult to break in or tamper with". However, NARCO3824 is 11 gauge steel which can be cut with handheld tools.<ref>https://youtu.be/NEeS5nCh5e8?si=OZs1R56HNGLp1T5S&t=195</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMXa1QImM54&t=134s</ref>)

The existence of a "rating" or "standard" does not guarantee a product's performance. The Titanic's lifeboats were "to regulation", yet ~1,500 people still lost their lives. It is up to the consumer to understand what a product's claim actually means, and how that affects the attributes the consumer wants for a product.

==[Incident]==
{{Ph-I-I}}Incidents to expand on:

*Fire rating (self-certification, fire-safe does not mean heat/steam/firehose safe)
*Performative features (internal hinges, showy linkage)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7X8crrn0Kg</ref>
*Detrimental features (door gaps, handle location, electronics, moisture-absorbing material, etc.)
*Made in America=assembled in America which obfuscates the quality of parts (usually the locks)
*Deceptive gun # capacity
*Detrimental or poor features presented as positives (door handle location, gauge thickness) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI</ref>
*Containers with security so poor that it cannot withstand a theft attack from a child (amazon desk safes)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrSWXFXvlE</ref><br />
ToDo:

*Embed side-by-side snapshots? (snapshot the fire-rating of a product from the company's website, next to a picture of that safe with rusted-out guns inside from surviving a fire)
*Link to the Liberty Safe article on consumerrights.wiki
*Create a guide about how to navigate the above incidents?

== Further Reading ==
The original author of this article recommends this web-guide for tips on gun safes including theft protection, fire protection, information security, home hardening, and common myths.

* ([https://gunsafereviewsguy.com Honest Gun Safe Reviews])

Videos of people breaking into safes:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JmnG9R9S_k
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WCg0KEiyI

Related consumerrights.wiki articles:

* [[Liberty Safe]]
* [[Ring]]

==References==
{{reflist}}<ref name=":0" />{{Ph-I-C}}
<references />

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-05T04:14:58Z

PsychoBreak: Remove irrelevant pre-populated sections. Improve summary wording. Add to-do list plan for future edits.

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-05T03:59:31Z

PsychoBreak: Started the page. Bullet point list of incidents that need to be expanded upon.

Gun Safe Widespread Deceptive Advertising

2026-02-05T02:53:06Z

PsychoBreak: Gun safes have industry-wide obfuscation of product's effectiveness.