61,000 gun safes are being recalled today—instead of only opening with a biometric scan of the owner’s fingerprints, as intended, reports indicate that the safes could open when anyone places their fingers on the scanner. One 12-year-old boy is dead, and there are reports of 39 others gaining access to guns that were thought to be secured in these safes.

As a gun owner with kids, this product failure is the nightmare scenario, the kind that we want to believe is not possible—it’s also the most concerning recall that’s ever come across my desk.  

I’ve been hunting and around guns for nearly all my life. And like most of you, before I was ever near one, gun safety was drilled into the core of my brain. As responsible gun owners, we know that we’ve got deadly products in our homes, so, we take every step possible to make sure that no one can access them without us. Here, people like you and I tried to take the most responsible steps possible by buying gun safes from companies we know, like Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, or Lowe’s. For those of us that have always had the Master Catalog sitting on our coffee tables, we trust that the products we buy there are of the highest quality. Here, we were let down. 

If you own one of the gun safes below, TAKE ACTION TODAY.  

1. IMMEDIATELY disable the biometric feature by using a hammer and screwdriver to puncture the biometric scanner.  Your safe will still function, you will just have to operate it by key.
2. Then get your FREE REPLACEMENT SAFE by contacting the manufacturer, Xpedition, by telephone at 888-577-9823 or online at www.fortresssafe.com.  You will also be able to keep your current safe, after disabling the biometric feature, and it will continue to be operable by key. 
3. Send this to everyone you know—particularly everyone you know who hunts or owns a gun.  Your help could save lives. 

List of Recalled Gun Safes:

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. Model numbers can be found above the barcode on a label located on the back of the safe and on the top right corner of the original packaging.

Safes with the following model numbers are included in this recall. 

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 recalled safes were manufactured in China and imported and distributed by Xpedition LLC, dba Fortress Safe, of Naperville, Illinois.

Report incidents with these safes and any dangerous product or a product-related injury to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.

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Faithfully, 

Your consumer advocate at the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr.