More than 60,000 gun safes sold at major sporting goods retailers nationwide were recalled Thursday after reports that a 12-year-old died after receiving a firearm in one of the safes, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
According to the commission, Fortress Safe, an Illinois-based company, voluntarily recalled 61,000 gun safes with fingerprint-reading technology, citing a programming error.
“Consumers may believe they have properly programmed the biometric feature when in fact the safe remains in standard opening mode, which may allow unauthorized users, including children, to access the safe to remove dangerous content, including firearms,” the commission said its recall notice.
The Commission urged consumers to immediately stop using the safe’s biometric feature by removing the batteries and to contact the manufacturer for a free replacement safe.
The commission said a lawsuit had been filed alleging a 12-year-old boy died after accessing one of the safes, but did not provide further details. There were 39 reports that the safes were opened by people with unregistered fingerprints, the commission added.
According to a lawsuit filed in a Nevada court earlier this year, the 12-year-old “suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head” in January 2022 after gaining access to the safe in his home. Sean Claggett, an attorney for the boy’s family, confirmed that the lawsuit is the same as that mentioned in the recall.
According to the lawsuit, the boy’s father purchased the safe at a Scheel’s store in Nevada in March 2021.
Fortress Safe said on its website that it was aware of the lawsuit and initiated the recall voluntarily. The company declined further comment.
The recall affects nine safe models in varying sizes, from smaller personal safes to large safes capable of storing long firearms.
From January 2019 through October of this year, the safes in question were sold online through Amazon and eBay and at major retailers including Bass Prop Shops, Cabela’s, Scheel’s, Sportsman’s Guide, Optics Planet, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander, Rural King and Lowe’s, the said Commission.
The safes were sold under various brand names, including Fortress, Cabela’s and Legend Range & Field, and ranged in price from $44 to $290.
A list of the recalled safes and their model numbers is posted on the Commission’s website.
Susan C. Beachy contributed to the research.