Master Lock recalling 752,000 faulty gun locks
By Lee Hawkins
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: July 24, 2000
Master Lock Co. said Monday it would recall all the gun locks it made in the past year because the locks don't work properly.
In a joint announcement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Milwaukee-based lock manufacturer said the company
would voluntarily recall 752,000 locks because the two halves of the locks can be manually separated without a key, giving children or
others unintended access to a firearm. The locks were made in China.
"Master Lock is recalling 100% of the gun locks it has sold since June of 1999," said Mark Semer, a spokesman for the company.
The recall provided more fodder for the unionized work force at Master Lock's Milwaukee manufacturing operation. The company began
trimming its work force here about two years ago amid price pressure from low-cost locks made overseas. As the company has looked to
Mexico, where labor costs are cheaper, union leaders have complained that the quality of the work overseas would not meet the
company's standards.
It is the second time in less than a year that the company's locks have been found defective, resulting in extra costs for Master Lock. In
December, an internal Master Lock document showed that the company imported more than 72,000 defective trigger locks. They were
discarded before reaching consumers.
Master Lock, which employed 1,100 workers in Milwaukee last year, is in the process of reducing its work force to about 400 as part of a
plan to move production to Nogales, Mexico, where labor costs are cheaper.
Semer would not divulge the per-unit costs of the locks. They were sold nationwide at stores such as Wal-Mart Stores, Kmart, and Gander
Mountain between June 1999 and July 2000 for $8 to $12.
The locks - worth at least $6 million retail in the United States - are keyed, trigger gun locks sold separately or in combination with Smith
& Wesson and Walther handguns, the company said.
Model numbers found on the packaging of the recalled locks are 90, 90DSPT, 90KADSPT, 90TSPT, 90DS&W, 90KADS&W and 90TS&W.
Consumers should stop using the recalled locks immediately and call Master Lock at (800) 944-1380 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to
receive a free replacement lock.
By Lee Hawkins
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: July 24, 2000
Master Lock Co. said Monday it would recall all the gun locks it made in the past year because the locks don't work properly.
In a joint announcement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Milwaukee-based lock manufacturer said the company
would voluntarily recall 752,000 locks because the two halves of the locks can be manually separated without a key, giving children or
others unintended access to a firearm. The locks were made in China.
"Master Lock is recalling 100% of the gun locks it has sold since June of 1999," said Mark Semer, a spokesman for the company.
The recall provided more fodder for the unionized work force at Master Lock's Milwaukee manufacturing operation. The company began
trimming its work force here about two years ago amid price pressure from low-cost locks made overseas. As the company has looked to
Mexico, where labor costs are cheaper, union leaders have complained that the quality of the work overseas would not meet the
company's standards.
It is the second time in less than a year that the company's locks have been found defective, resulting in extra costs for Master Lock. In
December, an internal Master Lock document showed that the company imported more than 72,000 defective trigger locks. They were
discarded before reaching consumers.
Master Lock, which employed 1,100 workers in Milwaukee last year, is in the process of reducing its work force to about 400 as part of a
plan to move production to Nogales, Mexico, where labor costs are cheaper.
Semer would not divulge the per-unit costs of the locks. They were sold nationwide at stores such as Wal-Mart Stores, Kmart, and Gander
Mountain between June 1999 and July 2000 for $8 to $12.
The locks - worth at least $6 million retail in the United States - are keyed, trigger gun locks sold separately or in combination with Smith
& Wesson and Walther handguns, the company said.
Model numbers found on the packaging of the recalled locks are 90, 90DSPT, 90KADSPT, 90TSPT, 90DS&W, 90KADS&W and 90TS&W.
Consumers should stop using the recalled locks immediately and call Master Lock at (800) 944-1380 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to
receive a free replacement lock.
